Niger Government declares 3-day mourning for late ex-Governor Kure

A former Governor of Niger State, Abdulkadir Kure, is dead. He died on Sunday at a German hospital where he was receiving treatment for an undisclosed ailment. Mr. Kure would have been 70 years old by February 26 this year. A friend of the family, resident in Abuja, confirmed to PREMIUM TIMES that the two term Niger Governor is dead. “It is true, he died in Germany, the family has already began making moves to return his body back to Nigeria for funeral rites,” he said.
Mr. Kure was a member of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, under whose platform he served as governor of Niger State from 1999 to 2007. His wife, Zainab Kure, was a former senator of the federal republic of Nigeria. He was from Lapai in Niger State. In a statement by the Niger State Commissioner for Information, Culture and Tourism, Jonathan Vatsa, in Minna on Sunday night, the state government announced a 3 day mourning for the ex-governor. It further stated that all flags should be flown at half mast throughout the state during the mourning period. According to the commissioner, Governor Abubakar Bello has also declared a work free day on the day of the burial of the former governor to enable all Niger residents accord the departed leader a befitting burial. “Engineer Abdulkadir Abdullahi Kure remains a leader who out of office showed concern for the development of the state. His statesmanship saw him jettisoning party affiliation when he personally intervened in the recent labour crisis in the state,” Mr. Vatsa said.