By Oluwaseun Sonde
The former Nigerian Vice President, Atiku Abubakar has said that the late United Arab Emirates President, Sheikh Khalifa Bin Zayed, a visionary leader whose transformational work in the United Arab Emirates will stand the test of time.
Atiku made this known on his Twitter handle on Saturday, while paying tribute to the UAE President who died recently, stated that under Khalifa's leadership, the UAE commenced the foundational development that has seen it literally reach for the sky.
He further said "the Burj Khalifa, the world's tallest man-made structure named after him, is a metaphor for his accomplishments".
The former Vice President sent his condolences to the family, Government, and the people of the UAE. "May Allah forgive his shortcomings and grant him Aljannah Firdaus", Atiku prayed.
Meanwhile, Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the United Arab Emirates’ long-ailing president, whose name adorns the world’s tallest building, Dubai’s Burj Khalifa, died May 13, aged 73.
The UAE government announced his death in a brief statement without further details. Sheikh Khalifa, who became president in 2004, gave up running the country’s day-to-day affairs after a stroke in 2014 and was seldom seen in public in recent years.
The UAE’s Ministry of Presidential Affairs announced a 40-day period of mourning and a three-day suspension of work across the government and private sector, with flags to be flown at half-staff.
Sheikh Khalifa succeeded his father, Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, as president. His father is widely revered by Emiratis as the UAE’s founding father after the country became independent of Britain in 1971.
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