The Kaduna State Government has declared Monday, July 12 as public holiday to honour the late former Deputy Governor of the state, Arch Barnabas Bantex, who died on Sunday.
The declaration of public holiday was contained in a statement issued by Muyiwa Adekeye, Special Adviser to the Governor on Media and Communication.
The statement reads, “The Kaduna State Government has formally announced the death of former Deputy Governor His Excellency, Barnabas Yusuf Bala (Bantex).
“The state government has declared Monday, 12th July 2021 as a work-free day in honour of his memory and service to the state.
“Architect Barnabas Bala, who served as Deputy Governor of Kaduna State from May 2015 to May 2019, died today in Abuja.
Earlier in a statement he personally signed, Governor, Nasir El’rufai described as shock the news of the passage of his former deputy governor, Barnabas Yusuf Bala Bantex
The governor, who confirmed the death of his former deputy, said he had lost a dear friend and partner in the service of Kaduna State.
“It was the midst of trying times that I received with utter sadness news of the departure of my friend and brother, His Excellency Barnabas Yusuf Bala (Bantex).
“From our days as undergraduates in the 1970s to our practice as professional colleagues in the construction industry and eventually partners in a governance project, Bantex was consistently a dependable man of brilliance and imagination. He believed in the potential of our state and in the capacity of our people to work together for progressive attainments.”
“Together, we took on the task of providing new leadership for Kaduna State in 2015. He brought to his duties as Deputy Governor during our first term his unique insights as a politician with experience in navigating the diversity of our state. Bantex radiated hope and optimism in the future of our state, even when the circumstances were dreary.”
“Bantex had served the people of Kaduna State in several capacities prior to becoming Deputy Governor. As a delegate to the 1994 Constitutional Conference, chairman of Kaura Local Government Council and member for Kaura Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives, he was a sterling symbol of representative democracy.”
“We would miss his brilliance and his commitment to Kaduna State, his easygoing manners, his sense of humour and steadfastness to his convictions.”
