Hajia Sidiqat Alaya, the permanent secretary of the Kwara State Ministry of Tertiary Education, has passed away.
According to reports, Hajia Alaya passed away in Abuja early on Saturday morning.
In a statement issued by his chief press secretary, Rafiu Ajakaye, the governor of Kwara State, AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, expressed sorrow over Hajia Alaya's passing.
“It is with sadness but absolute trust in the judgment of our creator that we receive the passing of this great bureaucrat and serving Permanent Secretary in the Kwara State Ministry of Tertiary Education,” the governor said in the statement on Saturday.
“The sudden death of this hard working and brilliant bureaucrat is a great depletion in the ranks of the state’s workforce, especially the leadership cadre of which she was. We send our heartfelt condolences to the family, friends, colleagues and all our dutiful civil servants in the state at this lonely moment.
“We beseech Allah, exalted is He, to grant Hajia Sidikat Alaya Al-jannah Firdaus and comfort her family. We all take solace in her being one of our best whose memory of commitment to duty and service to humanity will remain evergreen,” AbdulRazaq added.
The administration of Kwara State University (KWASU), Malete, also stated that it was shocked to learn of the permanent secretary's passing.
The management praised the deceased as a superb administrator who paid attention to details to ensure the seamless operation of institutions under her ministry in a statement issued by the head of University Relations, Dr. Saeedat Aliyu.
“She was a warm, accommodating, motherly figure who made interacting with the Ministry seamless. Hajia Alaya will be thoroughly missed as the entire university community mourns her death.
“We fervently pray that as we remember her in positive ways, Allah forgives all her sins and grants her soul repose in Jannatul Firdaus.
“Also, the governing council, management, staff and students of Kwara State University commiserate with His Excellency, the Governor of Kwara State, AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq; the Commissioner of Tertiary Education, Dr. Afeez Abolore Alabi; the State Executive Council, and the entire people of Kwara State on the loss of an illustrious, dedicated and wonderful woman who was committed to the development of her state,” the statement added.
Meanwhile, as at the time of this report, newsmen gathered that her corpse was being transported to Ilorin, the Kwara State capital for burial.