* Late Professor Jubril Aminu
By Pathfinder Reporter
Friday June 6, 2025
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The remains of a renowned cardiologist and former Education and Petroleum Minister, Professor Jubril Aminu, who died on Thursday at the age of 85, have been buried according to the Islamic rites.
Vice President Shettima, who represented President Bola Ahmed Tinubu at the occasion, led other Muslim faithful for the Jana’iza (funeral prayers) of the late elder statesman at the National Mosque in Abuja.
In a condolence message personally signed by President Tinubu, he described the late erudite scholar as a true patriot whose contributions to medicine, education, and public service left an indelible mark on Nigeria.
He extolled the virtues of the renowned cardiologist, former minister, ambassador, and senator.
Prof. Aminu, a one-time president of the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), passed on in Abuja on Thursday after a prolonged illness.
“Professor Jibril Aminu was not just a professor of cardiology; he was one of Nigeria’s most decorated medical professionals and a towering figure in public life. He straddled the worlds of academia and politics with uncommon brilliance and brought erudition and integrity to every position he held,” the president said.
President Tinubu further noted that the late academic was a fellow of several prestigious medical bodies, including the Nigerian Academy of Science and the Royal College of Physicians in London.
His career, the President added, was defined by “grit, hard work, and expertise.”
Late Professor Aminu was born in Song, Adamawa State, in 1939, and rose to become a towering figure in Nigeria’s public life.
The late Aminu held several distinguished positions in the Nigerian education and health sectors, including serving as executive secretary of the National Universities Commission (NUC) from 1975 to 1979 and Vice-Chancellor of the University of Maiduguri from 1980 to 1985.
He also had an international academic stint as a visiting professor at Howard University College of Medicine in Washington, D.C.
In government, Aminu was a minister of education and later served as minister of petroleum and mineral resources from 1989 to 1992. He was also president of OPEC in 1991 and president of the OPEC Conference between 1991 and 1992 while he was petroleum minister.
He was Nigeria’s Ambassador to the United States between 1999 and 2003 and subsequently represented Adamawa Central Senatorial District in the National Assembly from 2003 to 2011.
“He epitomized statesmanship and was deeply committed to building a greater Nigeria,” President Tinubu said.
The president extended his condolences to the family of the late professor and the people and government of Adamawa State, describing Aminu’s death as a “profound loss to the nation.”
“As we grieve, we must find solace in his legacy. He left remarkable imprints in the sands of time. May he find eternal rest in Aljana Firdaus. And may Allah forgive his sins,” the statement concluded.
Vice President Shettima commiserated with the family of the deceased and prayed to Allah to comfort them and make Aljanna Firdaus the final abode of the late elder statesman.
Describing Prof Aminu’s demise as a great loss to the nation, VP Shettima, in a statement by his spokesman, Stanley Nkwocha, described the late surgeon, educationist, and administrator as an intellectual giant who can hardly be replaced.
“It is a very sad loss. Prof Jubril Aminu was the last of the great titans, an iconic figure who enormously contributed to the development of the nation.
“He was variously the executive secretary of NUC, Vice Chancellor of the University of Maiduguri, and minister of various ministries across the country and left his landmarks on the sands of time.
“He is irreplaceable. May Allah grant him Aljanatul Firdaus and give the family the fortitude to bear the irreparable loss,” the Vice President prayed.l, adding that his death was not just a loss to the Adamawa people but to the nation and Africa as a whole.
Other mourners who joined the Vice President at the National Mosque in Abuja for the funeral prayers included former Vice President Atiku Abubakar; National Security Adviser Nuhu Ribadu; Special Adviser to the President on General Duties (Office of the Vice President), Dr. Aliyu Modibbo; former Secretary to the Federal Government, Yayale Ahmed; former Governor of Adamawa State, Admiral Murtala Nyako; former Governor of Gombe State, Senator Danjuma Goje; former Chief of Army Staff, General Tukur Buratai (rtd); former Minister of Education, Professor Tahir Mamman; and former Minister of State for Health, Dr. Aliyu Idi Hong, among many others.
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