Gbenro Adesina
A close associate and in-law of President Muhammadu Buhari, Ismaila Isa Funtua, has died on Monday in Abuja at the age of 78.
According to some sources, he suffered a cardiac arrest after taking himself to a hospital for routine check-up.
Isa Funtua was born in Funtua, Katsina State, and was a pioneer student of the Federal Training Centre, Kaduna.
He was trained as an administrative officer at the Institute of Administration, Ahmadu Bello University (ABU) Zaria as well as an administrator at Manchester University in the UK.
Isa Funtua worked as the Katsina Native Authority as an Administrative Officer and later served in many ministries in the defunct Northern Region
He was the founding Managing Director of Democrat Newspaper and former President of the Newspaper Proprietors Association of Nigeria (NPAN). He was the chairman of Bulet International Nigeria Limited (an indigenous construction company).
Isa Funtua was the Minister of Water Resources in the defunct Second Republic.
One of his sons is married to one of the daughters of President Buhari.
Reacting, President Buhari said the demise of the publisher and businessman has created a huge gap as he consistently stood by him in his political journey.
