The Management and Staff of ECOWAS Commission have held a Special Prayer service in honour of the Protocol Assistant at its Lagos Liaison Office, Mr. Salihu Abdulqudir Jatto who died on the 12th August 2014 after a brief illness.
At the solemn ceremony
presided over by the Vice President of the Commission Dr. Toga Gayewea McIntosh
on behalf of the Management and President of the Commission, His Excellency
Kadré Desire Ouédraogo, glowing tributes were paid in memory of Mr. Jatto, who
was variously described as a diligent, passionate, humble and hardworking staff,
who died a hero in the course of duty.
Leading the other mourning
colleagues in the outpouring of grief, the Vice President described Jatto as “a
sharp, young, aggressive goal-getter and a personal friend.”
“We are all touched by his
death, which is both a personal and collectively loss,” the Vice President said,
and prayed for the repose of Jatto’s soul.
Speaking in the same vein,
Mr. Steve Onwuka, Head of Protocol at the Commission, narrated some examples of
Jatto’s unique “unassuming, humble and infectious” character.
Like most great
personalities, he said that Jatto died at a time the world attention was focused
our region, albeit for the Ebola, health emergency.
Other colleagues who spoke at
the occasion, including Mr. Hyacinth Okwu, of the Finance Directorate, Mr.
Franck Afanyiakossou, and Mr. Josuah Iyamu, a member of the Staff Association, all
acknowledged Jatto’s legacy of service and exemplary character. They also used the occasion to appeal to Management
to look into improvement of the staff welfare policy.
Speaking earlier, Mr. Saihou
Njie, of the Human Resources Directorate said the ceremony was part of the
traditional gestures of honour to a departed colleague.
The Vice President and the
Commissioner for Finance, Mrs. Khadi Ramatu Saccoh, signed the official
condolence register at the end of the prayer session, which was also attended
by the Commissioner for Human Resources Mr. Mr. Joao Jose Silva Moteiro and his
General Administration and Conference counterpart, Mr. Stephen Nartey.
Mr. Jatto was among those
who assisted the American-Liberian Mr. Patrick Sawyer, who died in a Lagos
hospital of Ebola disease on 20th July Ebola 2014 on his way to a regional
conference in Calabar.
An ECOWAS delegation
attended Jatto’s burial in Ikorodu, Lagos and also paid a condolence visit to
his widow and other members of his family.
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