Executive Vice Chairman of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), Prof. Umar Danbatta, has commiserated with the family of late Malam Ismaila Isa Funtua, who passed on at 78 in Abuja on Monday, July 20, 2020.
Until his death, the late Isa Funtua was a publisher, industrialist and founder of Bulet International Nigeria Limited.
Danbatta, who alongside some staff of the Commission paid a condolence visit to the family at the residence of late Funtua on Tuesday, July 21, 2020, in Abuja, described the late Funtua “as an industrialist, a loyal and trusted ally of President Muhammadu Buhari, whose accomplishments have left indelible marks in critical sectors of the economy.”
“I received the passing of Alhaji Funtua with a heavy heart. He was a complete and compassionate gentleman and a true Nigerian patriot, who showed great interest in the progress of our dear country.
“I share the grief of his immediate family, associates as well as President Buhari. We pray for the peaceful repose of his soul and that Almighty God will grant his family the fortitude to bear the loss,” Danbatta said.
Danbatta was received by Abubakar Funtua, one of the deceased’s sons during the visit.
An elder statesman and a minister during the Second Republic, Malam Ismaila Isa Funtua, died on Monday in Abuja at the age of 78.
Isa Funtua 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).
A renowned business executive and public officer with over thirty years of management experience, he had served as Personnel Manager in United Textiles Limited (UNTL), responsible for over ten thousand staff.
His son, Abubakar is married to Safina (Lami), a daughter of President Buhari.
He was a pioneer student of the Federal Training Centre Kaduna. He trained as an administrative officer at the Institute of Administration, Ahmadu Bello University, ABU, Zaria, and as an administrator at the Manchester University in the UK.
He was the Monitor General of the Course 9, at the National Institute of Policy and Strategic Studies (NIPSS), Kuru, and served at the Katsina Native Authority for seven years as an Administrative Officer.
