The Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, has described the death of Mallam Isma’ila Isa Funtua as “a rude shock” and “a severe blow to the media industry in the country”.In a statement issued in Abuja on Tuesday, the Minister hailed Funtua’s contribution to media development and his untiring defence of free speech and the freedom of the press.The statement was smade available to newsmen on Tuesday in Abuja by Mr Segun Adeyemi, Special Assistant To The President (Media), Office of the Minister of Information and CultureIn the statement, the minister said the deceased contributed to media development starting from his days as the founder of “The Democrat” Newspapers to his stint as thePresident of the Newspaper Proprietors’ Association of Nigeria (NPAN).He said Funtua’s passion for the media industry saw him serving as the life patron of the NPAN and taking active interest inmatters concerning the industry until his death.”Mallam Isa Funtua was a man of many parts, with his eventful life highlighted by service, whether as a media icon, an entrepreneur or aphilanthropist.“He also served as a government Minister and a member of the 1994-1995 Constitutional Conference, hallmarking hisversatility,” he said.Mohammed extended his condolences to President Muhammadu Buhari, other family and friends of the late Funtua, the NPAN and the entire media industry.He prayed for the repose of the soul of the departed, and for comfort and strength to the family he left behindFuntua, an elder statesman, reportedly died of cardiac arrest on Monday night at the age of 76 years.
