Mother of Governor's Aide Dies 6 Days After Son's Death

Hajia Habiba Hawaja, mother to Alhaji Yusuf Hawaja, the late Deputy Chief of  Staff to Governor Simon Lalong of Plateau, is dead.

The 75-year-old woman died on Saturday, six days after the death of her son, Yusuf.

Mr Dan Manjang, Special Adviser to Lalong (Media and Publicity), who confirmed the death, described it as “shocking”.

“It is true; we have lost Hawaja’s mother, shortly after we lost him,” he disclosed on Saturday.

Yusuf had died at the Bingham University Teaching Hospital, Jos, on Sunday, after a brief illness.

Family sources indicated that Habiba took Yusuf’s demise very much to heart, and generally withdrew to herself.

“She spent her last days generally withdrawn; she was always very quiet and unwilling to talk much,” a family source, who craved anonymity, said.

The source said that Habiba, who had six children and 18 grandchildren, never complained of any sickness before her death.

“I believe she was thinking too much about the son’s death and that may have resulted to hers,” the source said.