Official driver of President Muhammadu Buhari, Master Warrant Officer Sa’idu Afaka, has passed away on Tuesday, April 7.
According to a statement from Presidential spokesperson, Garba Shehu, he died at the State House Clinic, Abuja on Tuesday, April 6, after a prolonged illness.
Until his death, the late driver was a master warrant officer in the Nigerian Army.
Mr Afaka first came into limelight in 2016 when he returned lost items during hajj in Saudi Arabia.
The items were a bag containing $400, N60,370, 149 Saudi Riyals and a mobile phone belonging to Adamu Umar, a Niger state pilgrim. He was later rewarded by the National Hajj Commission in 2017.
In the presidential statement, Shehu said Buhari paid tribute to Afaka, describing him “as an honest, capable and reliable person who handled his job with utmost care and responsibility.”
The president also commiserated with the Government and people of Kaduna State and described the late Afaka as an honest, capable and reliable person who handled his job with utmost care and responsibility.
Shehu added that the President prayed that the Almighty Allah ‘‘bless the soul of the departed with an elevated place in heavens,’’.
Read Shehu’s full statement below:
PRESIDENT BUHARI CONDOLES WITH FAMILY OF AFAKA, HIS OFFICIAL DRIVER
President Muhammadu Buhari extends heartfelt condolences to the family of Afaka on the passing of Master Warrant Officer, Sa’idu Afaka, his official driver, who died at the State House Clinic on Tuesday after a prolonged illness.
President Buhari, who also commiserates with the Government and people of Kaduna State, described the late Afaka as an honest, capable and reliable person who handled his job with utmost care and responsibility.
The President recalls that in 2016 the soldier, while on pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia, picked up a bag containing a large amount of foreign currencies and turned it over to the National Hajj Commission, an action which earned him praises from the Saudi and Nigerian authorities.
President Buhari prays Almighty Allah to ‘‘bless the soul of the departed with an elevated place in heavens,’’ committing the family and friends to divine comfort and patience.
May his soul rest in peace.
