Senator Saraki condoles with IBB

She said this in a press statement made available to Weekly Trust. Expressing her grief over the loss of the former First Lady, she said, “we will miss Mrs Babangida greatly, both those of us who knew her personally and those who watched her as a public figure. We all know that she carried out […]

She said this in a press statement made available to Weekly Trust. Expressing her grief over the loss of the former First Lady, she said, “we will miss Mrs Babangida greatly, both those of us who knew her personally and those who watched her as a public figure. We all know that she carried out her crusade to empower women without expecting anything in return knowing fully well that only Allah can truly reward man for his deeds.

She added, “among us live heroes and amazons. In their living, they add immeasurable impact on the lives of others and enrich the society. And when they depart, we remember not their wealth and definitely not the position they held, but how their positive impacted on our society. Dr (Mrs) Maryam Babangida was such an amazon; courageous, gracious and full of public compassion.

“She will be fondly remembered as the amazon who took the road less travelled and turned it to the road most frequented. She was a trailblazer.”

While describing Hajiya Babangida as a woman whose courage will remain a testimony for younger generations of Nigerians, she called on the Federal Government to create programmes aimed at providing world-class treatment for terminal illnesses, especially cancer.

“But for us as a people to show that we loved her, the Federal Government as a matter of urgency should make the treatment for cancer and other terminal diseases readily available. She battled a terminal illness with poise and with such grace, showing the Maryam Babangida courage without showing any sign of self pity. She took everything calmly. We can pay her no greater tribute than to collectively fight cancer in our society on her behalf,” Senator Saraki said.