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.
Special assistant to the president, office of the Minister of Information and Culture, Segun Adeyemi, in a statement Tuesday said the minister hailed Funtua’s contributions to media development and his untiring defence of free speech and the freedom of the press starting from his days as the founder of the Democrat Newspapers to his stint as the President of the Newspaper Proprietors’ Association of Nigeria (NPAN).
“Funtua’s passion for the media industry saw him serving as the life patron of the NPAN and taking active interest in matters concerning the industry until his death.
”He was a man of many parts, with his eventful life highlighted by service, whether as a media icon, an entrepreneur or a philanthropist. He also served as a government minister and a member of the 1994-1995 Constitutional Conference, hallmarking his versatility,” the statement said.
