Alhaji Ahmed Ketso, Deputy Governor of Niger, on Tuesday described late Hassan Lemu, Principal Private Secretary to Late Premier of Northern Nigeria, Ahmadu Bello, as a perfect elder statesman who lived a fulfilled life.

Hassan Lemu died in Minna at the age of 95 on Monday.He was survived by four wives, 25 children, 70 grand children and 100 great grand children.

The Deputy Governor said in a tribute that late Lemu had written his name in gold due to his “tremendous achievements as a pioneer civil servant in the defunct Northern Nigeria” and the country at larger.

“He made a lot of contributions to the development of our region, state and Nigeria in general.”

His death was a great loss to Niger and the country in general.

Dr Abubakar Dzukogi, Rector, Federal Polytechnic Bida, also described late Hassan as a God-fearing fellow, who distinguished himself in the service of humanity.

“He lived a fulfilled life; May Allah reward him with paradise.”

Sen. Abubakar Gada said the elder statesman was a man of the people who played a significant role in establishing a virile civil service in the old Northern Region.

Sheik Ibrahim Fari, Chief Imam of Minna Central Mosque, said that the death was a great loss to Nigeria.

Sheik Ahmed lemu, an Islamic scholar, described the late statesman as a honest, brilliant, committed and trusted Nigerian who distinguished himself in the service of God and humanity .

“We were in the same class in 1937 but due to his brilliant academic performance, he only spent 3 years in the primary school, same applied in Barewa College.”

“He was a God-fearing fellow, who excelled in the service of northern Nigeria.”

Alhaji Mohammed Lemu, one of the sons of the deceased, told NAN  that “when he was paid his pension arrears, which was stopped for over 6 years, he directed that part of the money should be used to construct a mosque, bore-holes and renovation of Islamiya schools”.

This was a true civil servant who played his own part without tampering with public funds.

He always told us to do justice and have the fear of Almighty Allah in everything.

The late Sardauna’s aide joined the public service as Third Class Clerk at the Northern Nigeria Secretariat in February 1949.

He worked in different cadres of the civil service in Nigeria and London.

He was first posted to the late Premier’s office, Kaduna, as private secretary on his return from secondment to the office of the Commissioner for Northern Nigeria in the United Kingdom as Executive Officer (Accounts) in 1956.