The Director General/Chief Executive Officer of the National Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies, Kuru, near Jos Prof. Habu Shuaibu Galadima, is dead.
Galadima was said to have died few hours ago in Gwagwalada General Hospital, Abuja, of complications arising from COVID-19.
It was gathered that Galadima might have contacted the dreaded disease at last Saturday’s graduation ceremony of the Senior Executive Course 42, held at the institution.
Governor Simon Lalong, who was also at the ceremony, might have contacted the disease during the event. Lalong, who is asymptomatic, is currently on self isolation.
It was also gathered that after the ceremony, the DG started experiencing signs of fatigue, weakness and was advised by his younger brother, who is a medical doctor, to take some rest. He therefore proceeded to Abuja to have a rest before he passed on on Sunday
Director of research and Documentation, Office of the Plateau State Government, Prof John Wade, who confirmed the incident, said that the news of the incident was confirmed to him by the Director of Research, NIPSS, Prof. Pam Dung Sha.
Galadima was a lecturer in the Department of Political Science, University of Jos, before he was appointed the director general of NIPSS.
Reacting to his death, President Muhammadu Buhari, expressed sadness over the incident
President Buhari, in a statement issued on Sunday by his spokesman, Garba Shehu, described the deceased as an intellectual colossus who stood tall in the field of scholarship and knowledge.
The President, who commiserated with his family, friends, the government and people of Nasarawa State, said “Galadima was an eloquent and remarkable intellectual whose contributions to scholarship were vast and remarkable, and Nigeria will continue to remember him for these contributions.”
President Buhari added that “with the death Galadima, NIPPS and Nigeria at large has lost one of the best DGs ever appointed to head the institute.”
He prayed to Allah to forgive the soul of the departed and reward his good deeds with Al Jannah.
The late DG was born in 1963 in Toto Local Government of Nasarawa State. He received his early education at Shafa Abakpa Primary School and Federal School of Arts and Science, Suleja from where he was admitted into the University of Jos. He then proceeded for his postgraduate training in his alma mater, earning the M.Sc degree in 1990 and PhD in 2006.
He joined the university in 1990 as Assistant Lecturer, rising to become reader in 2004 and full-fledged professor of Political Science in 2009.
He has held many positions in the University, ranging from Coordinator of Departmental programmes, to head of Department of Political Science and Deputy Director Academic Planning.
