The remains of former Governor of Kaduna State, Patrick Yakowa were buried in his country home at Fadan Kagoma, yesterday.

Yakowa died last Saturday, December 15, in a helicopter crash at Nembe Local Government Area of Bayelsa State along with five others, including former National Security Adviser, Gen. Andrew Azazi.

In a tribute at the burial service held at St Paul Catholic Church, President Jonathan eulogised Yakowa describing him as a “bridge builder” who loved his people irrespective of their religion and tribe, and described December 15 as a “dark Saturday.”

“Yakowa was a nationalist. He played his roles very well as a civil servant of the old, not as a civil servant of today when a director has more houses than Dangote. “No ethnic or religious divide in his blood,” he said.

The president pledged the continued support of the government to the immediate family of the deceased, and appealed to leaders to guard their utterance against those things that could divide and destroy the nation.

He urged the senior citizens to emphasise those things that unite the nation instead of the issues that can divide the country.

“Utterances and words of elders are just like winds and waves that move, gather momentum and cause destructive effects which end results cannot be predicted. “Responses of our young men and women are reflections of what the elders talk in public and even in private,” he said.

Earlier in a message, Rev. Mathew Kukah, said no one could either teach God knowledge or question his decisions; therefore people should not feel despondent over the death of Yakowa.

He said the deceased died at his appointed time by God and urged the people to ignore those who are wielding suspicious story about his death and debunked the purported claim that a section of religious divide in the State was rejoicing over the death of Yakowa.

He noted that former head of State, Gen Muhammadu Buhari, a devout Muslim, cancelled his 70th birthday in honour of Yakowa, adding that the deceased made his marks as the first child from the Christian-dominated southern part of Kaduna to attain the top position at various levels of government.

Kukah said Yakowa also broke the jinx by becoming the first Christian executive governor of Kaduna, a feat which had seemed unattainable in the state because of certain interests who were playing politics of exclusion based on religion.

Kukah said the achievements of Yakowa as governor, particularly in development and in building bridges of unity, were testimonies to the fact that governance was not an exclusive right of a group.

Kukah inspired the youth from southern Kaduna to emulate the good traits of Yakowa and be confident in themselves that they could achieve lofty positions in the state and beyond.

He urged them not to surrender to doubts and feelings of inferiority, and called on Yakowa’s successor, Governor Ramalan Yero, to ignore the parochial opinion of some people who were still advocating politics of exclusion in the State.

“Do not be tempted by what the wicked people claimed: that the Muslims have taken back what belong to them. “The politics of exclusion should be reversed for a creation of a just and even society.