Our father has gone back to the village and we shall no longer be regaled with deep insights of a man who lived a full and fruitful life and who selflessly shared his wealth of knowledge with all. *Baba Paul, a man of many parts has *passed on to the ancestors and the people of Mubi and the wider Adamawa family will forever miss him.
We in the All Progressives Congress, APC will miss his *unbiased views about events in Adamawa and the country at large and his words of wisdom and knowledge of government, acquired through his many years of service to the country working in different capacities at different levels and with different shades of government.
Baba Paul was a teacher ; he taught his alma mater before and after he passed out of school. His teaching skills never left him since he continued to impact knowledge in his later years in Mubi, Adamawa State and Nationally.
Though he left Civil Service to become senior Political Actor in defunct Gongola State Politics as Member Gongola State House of Assembly and became the first Speaker for Four Years uninterrupted and he never retired from public service, as there were too many things for him to do in politics, as an activist and as a dedicated alma mater.
As a political leader, he served the PDP as the National Vice Chairman North East, amongst others.
My first political encounter with him was in 2003 , when I worked very closely with him in my capacity as the secretary for Adamawa State ANPP Gubernatorial Campaign Councill , where *Baba Paul was the Chairman. He was fearless, upright and provided leadership per excellence. Under his leadership, we won the governorship election in 2003* and thereafter the legal tussle, he continued to empower larger political movement fiercely in its ideological principles.Though the ANPP did not flourish as much as we would have expected after the 2003 elections, Baba never compromised his principles for fairness and social justice.
In later years he came into his role as a senior citizen and elder statesman with ease, he continued an *Ambassadorial* toles for Adamawa though he no longer had a role in government.
He was an excellent and engaging raconteur. His knowledge of the finer details of how governments function was unsurpassable , and he became a much sought-after speaker and lecturer elsewhere. Many ardent Nationalists went to hear him speak on wide-ranging issues that almost always ended on the topic of *National Unity.
Baba Paul continued to be involved in public and social life and he is best known as the *incisive critic and social commentator in his right as a seasoned politician* , where he was at his best doing as elder statesmen should do! – *sharing their rich experience with all in an unbiased way with the government and the people.*
*As a fearless advocate of fairness, as a champion of social justice and self-determination and as a passionate proponent of One Nigeria* , we in the APC have no doubt that he was comfortable in our midst, providing much-needed advice from afar and cheering us on as we seek to reconnect with the masses to provide them with a government based on the *principles of self-determination, social justice, and Nationalism* .
*Baba Paul* , we wish you safe crossing on the *journey back to the village* where your *ancestors await you* . Please let them know how difficult times are and how we are struggling to slowly but surely put the country on the right path. Please ask them to send us advocates who will direct us and show us where we should be going.
*We know that it will be difficult to walk in your shoes* , but we trust that having listened to and read your wise words over the years, *that transformation will yet come and Nigeria will slowly and gradually become a better place.*
Rest in Perfect Peace in the Lord Baba Paul Wampana* ( _Zannah Mubi_ ).
