The family of the late Kaduna State governor Patrick Yakowa has opened a condolence register at his residence in Fadan Kagoma but very few people attended to it as dozens of residence trooped to the state capital to commiserate with his wife Amina. But the atmosphere remained charged with grief yesterday. Women wept profusely; and the men who should comfort them looked confused in front of their houses as they discussed the tragedy while children folded their arms watching in the small groups.
Also, across southern Kaduna, many people gathered in groups along major roads discussing the incident.
The late governor's only younger brother, Adamu Yakowa, who is ill, said the news of the death of his brother came as a shock. As he managed to come to terms with the reality of the governor's death, Adamu told Daily Trust his last encounter with his elder brother.
He said: "I saw the governor two weeks ago when he came for the local government elections. There were so many people coming into the house so he told me that he won't be able to discuss family issues with me.
"He said I should visit him in Kaduna. That was the last time we saw and talked. The next thing I would hear is that he died in a plane crash.
"All the people in our community, including Bishop Joseph Bagobiri and Kpop Gwong, are already in Kaduna. If not for my health condition, I would have gone with them."
"My wife and all my sisters are already in Kaduna. But what we are hearing is that some of our people who went to Kaduna have not even been allowed to see the wife. I just talked to my wife; we don't know when the date they will fix for the burial."
Former chairman of Jema'a local government, Engr. Barnabas Dos, who is the late governor's childhood friend, said he received the news of Yakowa's death with great shock.
Explaining his relation with the deceased governor, Engr. Dos said: "We had been together for over 60 year. When he left the family compound to build here, it was just his house and my own that were in this area. At that time, when he came out from his house, he would come straight to my house. When we were growing, Patrick would hurt no fly.
"At that time, only few of us went to school before independence. He went to a Catholic primary school while I went to an ECWA primary school here in our community. Yakowa is my senior with four years exactly. He was born on December 1, 1948 and I was born On December 1, 1952. So, first December is our birthday. When he came for the recent local government election which was held on first December, I went to wish him happy birthday and he also wished me the same.
"I think as governor, Patrick had just finished one stage, which is uniting the state. There has never been any election that has been conducted without rancour in every part of the state like the one he organised. It was conducted peacefully and he swore in the chairmen the following Monday.
"So I think he has achieved what nobody has achieved in Kaduna State. They had programmes but how would you go for development when there was no peace? He was able to secure and unite the state. It was time for him to develop it when he died."
"Last Monday, I was with him in his office but he was very busy. When he finished his work, we walked together to his room. Lo and behold, this is what God has destined. With all the pains, we are happy that God gave us a chance. He has finished his work; we pray that he is resting in peace."
Husaini Dogara, the National Vice President of Gong Development Association and Yakowa's cousin, said the entire community could not sleep since the news of the death of the governor broke. But he attributed the incident to God's doing.
"It is God's doing; we have left everything in God's hand. All stakeholders in our community have met; others left the community for Kaduna. It's really unfortunate but we have taken it in good faith."
Nehemiah Madugu, who is the councillor representing the late governors ward, Kagoma ward, said that Yakowa died at a time when the people of the state needed him most.
"Until now, we heard it as a rumour. People heard it through phone calls but could not believe," he said.
But for Musa Bulus, a resident in the area, there may have been a conspiracy in the governor's demise. "How can a governor die just like that? He asked. On a second thought, he said: "Well, God knows all and has created man to live and die."
Daily Trust