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From John Adams, Minna
Recently, the ancient town of Gulu Vatsa, in Lapai Government Area of Niger State, came alive. Family members, friends, associates and other community members gathered to eulogise the late General Mamman Jiya Vatsa, an army officer executed for an alleged coup in 1986.
Vatsa was so much cherished by his people while alive that he was referred to as mirror of Gulu Vatsa community.
Among the dignitaries who attended the event were traditional rulers from the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), as his last military posting was Minister of FCT, before his alleged involvement in the coup. The traditional rulers in attendance included the Estu Yaba, Alhaji Abdullahi Adamu Adela, and the Emir of Wako, Alhaji Usman Abdulaziz Ibrahim.
Also in Gulu to identify with the family of the deceased were delegations from the Nigerian Writers’ Association, Abuja chapter, led by its chairperson, Hajiya Halima Usman.
Usman told the gathering that the late general would continue to be remembered by the association for his contributions to the growth of the body while he was with them. According to her, it was the general who, during his tenure as minister of FCT, donated a plot of land to the association, which serves as it Abuja headquarters.
Her words: “He was a man of the people. He didn’t think about himself alone. He held the community very tenaciously to his mind.
“We thank God that the children have decided to sustain the vision of their father. In the literary world, we believe that writers never die; so, General Vatsa lives on.”
The children of the departed general, led by Mohammed Jiya Vatsa, donated an information communication technology (ICT) hub and exercise books to Day Secondary School, Gulu.
The ICT hub, which is equipped with computers and solar-powered inverter for 24-hour power supply, is expected to boost the students’ knowledge of ICT and connect them to the world.
According to the family, the donation was part of their contributions to the educational development of the community in order to keep the legacy and vision of their father alive.
The inauguration of the hub by Adela, assisted by Ibrahim, also witnessed the distribution of more than 2,000 exercise books to students of the school.
The spokesperson for the Vatsa family, former commissioner for information, culture and tourism in Niger State, Jonathan Tsado Vatsa, said the homecoming of the late General Vatsa’s family was very significant, adding that the patriarch, until his death, remained in constant touch with his people.
“These are very key legacies and visions that the children of General Vatsa want to sustain. The late general so much believed in education when he was alive. He was responsible for the payment of WAEC fees for all sons and daughters of this community until his death.”
He, however, used the occasion to appeal to President Muhammadu Buhari to grant the late General Vatsa a state pardon to enable the family do more things in his honour, pointing out that “as things are now, there is a limit we can go. We believe that granting him a state pardon will enable the community and the family run a foundation in his honour.”
“As a former minister of FCT, our late son contributed immensely to the development of Abuja.”
He admitted that, since the execution of the general, life has not been the same for the family and the community, adding that “his death created lots of setbacks for many people because so many of them depended on him for everything.”
The chairman on the occasion and former commissioner for health in the state, Dr. Isah Yahaya Vatsa, said that the donation of the ICT hub would connect the students and the entire community to the rest of the world.
Also, Ibrahim said that there was still hope for the community despite the demise of their benefactor, whom the entire community hitherto looked up to.
“Our consolation today is that the children have decided to keep their father’s legacies and visions alive for the benefit of the community,” he said.
