LAFIA – A 100 year- old man, Malam Iliyasu Abdullahi, who was a vendor in Lafia for 43 years, has died after a brief illness.
It was gathered weekend that the deceased, who was an indigene of Wudil Local Government of Kano state, died in the early hours of Saturday in his compound at Agwan Shiyawu area of Lafia.
Confirming the death of his father at the deceased compound in Lafia, his son, Mr Haruna Ilyasu, said the death of their father had left a huge vacuum that could not be easily filled.
“The death of my father has touched, not only members of our family, but the people in Lafia, especially his numerous customers.
“What we pray for, is for the Almighty Allah to grant him eternal rest, and for us to live up to his ripe age,’’ he said.
Reacting to the death, a newspaper distributor in Lafia, Mr Joseph Onche, who led other vendors on a condolence visit to the deceased home, described the death as ‘a great loss” to them.
“We have lost a huge pillar, father and mentor. What we will miss includes his fatherly advice and mentoring us on his experiences.
“He always advices us not to tamper with money or anything that does not belong to us. He taught us to be humble and patient,’’ he said.
Another vendor, Malam Adamu Usman said that vendors in the state, had lost their pillar of support because the deceased stood as the guarantor for some of them when they started the business.
“We have a lost a pillar in Lafia. Baba is a founding father. Anybody who is engaged in newspaper vending in Lafia, has been assisted by Baba somehow. We are sad,’’ he said.
It was gathered that the deceased, popularly known as ‘Baban vendors’, meaning the father of vendors, started his career when the Nigerian Standard, a Plateau state owned newspaper was first published in 1972.
It was also revealed that the deceased served as sales agent for other newspapers, which include Daily Times, Gaskiya Tafi Kobo and Concord Newspapers, among others.
