Alhaji (Dr.) Bamanga Tukur, the Tafida of Adamawa, has passed away on Saturday at the age of 90, marking the loss of one of Nigeria’s foundational democratic figures.
His media assistant, Chief Victor Okpala, announced his passing in an official statement released on behalf of the family.
According to the statement, the former National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) died at 12:00 p.m. at his residence on Adetokunbo Ademola Street, Wuse 2, Abuja, just two days prior to his 91st birthday.
Okpala noted that the elder statesman’s remains will be transported to Adamawa immediately for interment in accordance with Islamic rites.
Meanwhile, political associates, personal friends, and supporters have gathered at his Abuja residence to pay their final respects.
Reacting to his father’s death, Rt. Hon. Awwal Tukur, Secretary to the Government of Adamawa State, said, “It has happened according to the will of Allah, the Greatest and Most Merciful.”
He continued by saying that the family would find comfort in their father’s excellent life and the significant legacies he left for future generations.
Dr. Bamanga Tukur
Tukur was a prominent political figure whose career encompassed Nigeria’s military and civilian administrations, the private sector, and continental economic institutions, passing away three days prior to his 91st birthday.
During his tenure as Managing Director and subsequently Chairman of the Nigerian Ports Authority, he oversaw the construction of the majority of Nigeria’s modern port infrastructure.
He was elected governor of the former Gongola State, an administrative region that encompasses present-day Adamawa, Taraba, and surrounding areas.
His public service career also included a appointment as a Federal Minister.
Within the corporate sector, he founded multiple commercial enterprises and served as Chairman of the African Business Roundtable, the premier pan-African organization for private enterprise.
He is survived by children, grand and great-grandchildren.
Tributes pour in as family announce funeral for Sunday in Yola
The family of the late Alhaji Bamanga Tukur has announced that the former Peoples Democratic Party National Chairman will be interred in Yola, Adamawa State, on Sunday, September 13, 2026.
The burial arrangements were disclosed in a statement released on Saturday in Yola by Awwal Tukur, son of the deceased and Secretary to the Adamawa State Government.
Amid the announcement, tributes have continued to pour in from top political figures and officials.
Reacting, President Bola Tinubu expressed grief over the elder statesman’s passing, characterizing his death as a profound loss for the nation.
In a statement issued by his Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, the President remarked that Alhaji Tukur’s departure signifies the close of a pivotal chapter in Nigeria’s political and economic evolution.
Similarly, in honor of the former governor and PDP national chairman, Adamawa State Governor Ahmadu Fintiri declared a three-day period of state mourning.
