Foremost newspaper columnist, economist and former deputy governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Dr Obadia Mailafia is dead.
Aged 64, Mailafia’s death was confirmed by the president of Southern Kaduna Peoples Union (SOKAPU), Jonathan Asake.
He said Mailafia died in an Abuja hospital on Sunday morning.
Also confirming the death, spokesman for SOKAPU, Mr. Luka Binniya, said Mailafia had taken refuge in Makurdi, Benue State, following alleged persistent harassment by the Department of State Security Services (DSS).
He said Mailafia fell ill on Saturday in Makurdi and was rushed to an Abuja hospital where he died.
“You know following his harassment by the DSS, he has been taking refuge from place to place.
“The last place he went to take refuge was Makurdi. Yesterday (Saturday), he took ill and he was rushed to the hospital that he normally attended in Abuja.
“This morning, he was pronounced death”, Binniyat said.
Born on the 24 December 1956 in Randa village of Southern Kaduna in Kaduna State, Mailafia was a Nigerian development economist.
He contested the 2019 presidential election on the platform of African Democratic Congress (ADC).
Mailafia graduated top of his class at the Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, in 1978 with a B.Sc. Honours in Social Sciences (Politics, Economics and Sociology).
He also had a M.Sc. from the same institution.
He was the chief economist at the Strategic Planning and Budgeting Department of the African Development Bank Group from 2001 to 2005.
The deceased was recalled home from the AfDB to serve as deputy governor of the CBN where he distinguished himself remarkably.
Meanwhile, politician and businessman, Mr. Gbenga Olawepo Hashim has described Mailafia’s death as a “great loss to Nigeria and his beloved family that he loved dearly.”
Olawepo-Hashim in a condolence message to the nation at large said Mailafia was a diplomat, political economist, a minority rights crusader and great voice for the Middle Belt course.
https://servedbyadbutler.com/adserve/;ID=162803;size=300×250;setID=151330;type=iframe;sw=1280;sh=800;spr=1;kw=;pid=4045549;place=0;rnd=4045549;click=CLICK_MACRO_PLACEHOLDER “I just got off the phone with Dr. Bitrous Porgu, President of the Middle Belt Forum to confirm the distressing news popping up on my phone. It is true we have lost Obadiah Mailafia,” he said.
Olawepo-Hashim recalled that they were screened together by the elders of the Middle Belt in 2019 Presidential run, stating that “he did remarkably well. His voice on national issues which kept on ringing until the last few days will be missed.”
