A former governor of old Kwara State, Adamu Attah, is dead.
Mr. Attah died on Thursday at the Abuja National hospital after a brief illness.
Family sources said the deceased would be buried on Friday in his home town of Okene, Kogi State.
Atta was an indigene of Ebira land, in present Kogi State. He was son of warrant chief Ibrahima Atta, whom the British granted wide powers under the Native Authority system, which undermined the traditional process for selection of a leader in the community. He became the first civilian governor of the state, representing the National Party of Nigeria (NPN), although he came from a minority ethnic group. In January 1967, he was permanent secretary for the federal Ministry of Finance, and was in discussions with the Soviet Union over possible development loans.
In the contest between Adamu Atta (a son of Ibrahima Atta) and Obatemi Usman for a seat in the Constituent Assembly in 1977, Obatemi Usman lost, and resorted to appeal to his Oziogu clan, accusing the Aniku sub-clan of Adavi to which Atta belonged, of occupying most of the public offices in Ebira land. Dr. Abubakar Olusola Saraki supported Atta in his bid to become governor of Kwara State in 1979.
Atta was responsible for establishing the Obangede Specialist Hospital.
Adamu Atta is a polo enthusiast, and owner of the Fifth Chukker Club and Resorts.[7] The 2008 annual IWC Laureus Polo Cup in England was won by the Laureus Team in a close match against the Julius Baer Team. Highlights were goals scored by Miquel Novillo Astrada (Team Laureus) and Adamu Atta (Team Julius Baer) hammered in from 80 yards. His team was a strong contender in the 2009 Katsina International Polo Tournament. He was a two times MVP award winner.