From Tom Garba, Yola
John Eddie Manassah, former Secretary to the Adamawa State Government under two civilian administrations of former Governor Boni Haruna and Admiral Murtala Nyako, is dead.
Manassa a seasoned technocrat, who was also the running mate to Brig-Gen. Buba Marwa in 2012 when the latter ran for elections as governor of Adamawa State, on the platform of the defunct Congress for Progressive Change (CPC), passed on in the early hours of Wednesday, in Yola, the Adamawa State capital.
His death was confirmed by his eldest son Yangadi Mannassah John who, however, did not reveal the cause of his death.
But sources close to the family said they believed the late politician may have died from protracted kidney-related complications which had kept him away from public functions since 2013.
The late influential technocrat turned politician, had just returned from Turkey where he was said to have gone for medical treatment.
Manassa was born on October 12, 1952 in Borrong, Demsa local Government Area and began his career as a teacher in 1971 with Government Teachers College, Gombe.
He rose through the ranks of the Adamawa State Civil Service and was confirmed as Permanent Secretary, Bureau for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs in July 1998.
Manassa went on to serve as Secretary to the Adamawa State Government and Head of the Adamawa State Civil Service from July 1999- Sept.1999 under the military Junta headed by Gen. Abubakar Abdulsalami.
He also transmuted as Secretary to the Adamawa State Government from that regime to serve the civilian administration of Governor Boni Haruna, in that capacity as Secretary to the Government up until 2004.
When Governor Murtala Nyako became the elected Governor of Adamawa State in May, 2007 he recalled John Manassa to become the Secretary to the State Government, until political disagreement led to both men parting ways towards the end of the administration.
But prior to his appointment in that cabinet, Manassa served as Director General of the Nyako Gubernatorial Campaign Organisation.
The late Manassa who holds the title of ‘Wakilin Mbula’ would be fondly remembered for his conceptualization of the defunct social welfare scheme, popularly called “Special Assistance” during the Nyako era.
Through the SA scheme, billions in monthly stipends were dispensed to political cronies and the less-privileged, and the SA scheme drew lots of plaudits for the Nyako administration who saw it as a “social empowerment” scheme. Much of the popularity of the former Governor Murtala Nyako, who was later impeached by lawmakers in the state, stemmed from that social welfare scheme.
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