By: Eugene Upah, Calabar
The immediate past Director-General of the Cross River State Teachers Continuous Training Institute (TCTI), Biase, Professor Taoheed Adedoja, is in mourning following the passing of his father-in-law, elder statesman and former National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Alhaji Bamanga Tukur at 90.
Alhaji Tukur, a former Minister of Industries under the regime of the late General Sani Abacha and PDP National Chairman between 2012 and 2014, passed away on Saturday, September 12, 2026.
Professor Adedoja, who recently concluded his tenure as the pioneer Director-General of TCTI, Biase, has joined family, associates and well-wishers to mourn the renowned politician, businessman and administrator.
Beyond his national prominence, Alhaji Tukur maintained strong familial, cultural and economic ties to Cross River State. One of his wives, Amina Tukur, is a cousin to the Obong of Calabar, His Eminence Edidem Ekpo Okon Abasi Otu V.
Furthermore, during Professor Adedoja’s marriage to Tukur’s daughter, Jamila Bamanga-Tukur Adedoja, a successful entrepreneur, traditional marital rites were performed at the Palace of the Obong of Calabar in Adiabo-Odukpani ten years ago, cementing a warm relationship between Adedoja and the Calabar monarchy.
Maritime experts also credit Alhaji Tukur with playing a pivotal role in the development of the modern Calabar Port Complex. Serving as the General Manager and Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) between 1975 and 1982, Tukur spearheaded Nigeria’s port expansion under the Third National Development Plan.
He advised the Federal Government to rehabilitate and expand the existing Calabar harbour, a recommendation that culminated in the commissioning of the modernized Calabar Port Complex on June 9, 1979.
Reflecting on his last interaction with his father-in-law, Professor Adedoja, a former Minister of Sports and Special Duties recalled speaking with him on August 19, 2026, when the elder statesman called to extend birthday wishes to his daughter, Jamila.
“Despite his ill health, Alhaji Tukur was full of warmth, enthusiasm and hope as he asked when we would meet next,” an emotional Adedoja shared. “Allah did not allow that to happen.”
Following news of his death, Professor Adedoja, his wife and family members traveled via a chartered flight to Yola, Adamawa State, for the funerary rites and to pay their final honors.
Adedoja described his relationship with the late patriarch as extraordinary, noting that Tukur treated him as a biological son and that the two met bi-monthly to discuss governance, politics, education and national issues.
In honor of Alhaji Tukur, a former Governor of the defunct Gongola State (encompassing present-day Adamawa and Taraba States), the Adamawa State Government has declared three days of state mourning.
Alhaji Tukur’s ties to the South were equally strong. In 1976, he was conferred with the chieftaincy title of ‘Balogun of Ibadan’ during the reign of the Olubadan of Ibadanland, Oba Shittu Akintola Oyetunde II.
In Cross River State, his late son, Seriki Tukur, managed the family’s business interests and assets, including real estate investments in the State Housing Estate, Calabar until his passing in May 2026.
Alhaji Bamanga Tukur is survived by two wives, 18 children, grandchildren and extended family members, led by his eldest son, Barrister Awal Tukur, the Secretary to the Adamawa State Government (SSG) and his son-in-law, Professor Taoheed Adedoja.
