A centenarian, the only living man who witnessed the amalgamation of theNorthern and the Southern protectorates in 1914, Mallam Goman Salihu, died yesterday. He died at the ripe age of 120 years.
According to a family source, the late centenarian is survived by 18 children, many grandchildren and wife Zainab Abbu.
The now late Gomna said in his last interview on his sick bed how, as a teenager then, he witnessed the parade that ushered in the amalgamation.
The centenarian, who spoke with the help of his two children Yusuf Salihu and Mohammed Salihu, was on his sick bed and found it very difficult to speak audibly.
Apart from being one of the oldest men in the ancient city of Zungeru, the late Alhaji Salihu is respected for his ability to bring people together to live in peace despite their different backgrounds.
Speaking on his death, the chairman of Zungeru Community DevelopmentAssociation, Mallam Salman Yusuf, stated that the late centenarian was father to all and therefore prayed that Allah SWT would grant him eternal rest.
Meanwhile, his body was laid to rest yesterday in Zungeru, about 2pm, with people from different backgrounds witnessing the burial. His younger brother Ahmadu Salihu received visitors, as the traditional head of Zungeru or Hakimi Zungeru, Alhaji Salisu Abubakar, was not in town.
Though the Hakimi was in Kano to witness the wedding of his son, we gathered that he was devastated by the loss of the centenarian who, he said, had been a wise counsellor to the people.