“God knows why this has happened to us at this time, so please let’s give thanks to our God Almighty.”

That was Amina, wife of late Kaduna State Governor, Patrick Yakowa, speaking late this afternoon shortly before the burial of her late husband. Yakowa, it would be recalled died in last Saturday’s helicopter crash in President Jonathan’s home state, Bayelsa, which killed all six persons on board, including former National Security Adviser, retired Gen. Andrew Owoeye Azazi.

It was an emotional sight at Yakowa’s funeral in his country home in Fadan-Kagoma, southern Kaduna. It was difficult to find anyone not shedding tears among the large crowd of villagers, family members, friends and political heavyweights from across the country, including President Goodluck Jonathan.

Of course, Amina wept profusely. So, too, her four children, and almost every other person around – men and women. It was one occasion which proved wrong the saying that men don’t wept. Today in Fadan-Kagoma, men wept in lamentation of the curl fate that befell a beloved public servant widely acknowledged as a good man and a man of peace.

The weeping started from the moment Yakowa’s corpse arrived for the funeral service at Saint Paul’s Catholic Church, Fadan-Kagoma this morning, and continued intermittently till his interment and afterwards.

Apart from President Jonathan, other dignitaries that were on hand to bid Yakwa bye included Senate President David Mark, Speaker House of Representatives, Aminu Tambuwal, ministers, governors, Peoples Democratic Party National Chairman Bamanga Tukur, former Head State, Gen. Abdusalami Abubakar (retd.) and nine bishops led by Cardinal John Onaiyekan, the Catholic Archbishop of Abuja.

•Photo, courtesy PM News: Pall bearers with Yakowa’s casket.