The secretary to the government of the federation (SGF), George Akume, on behalf of the Federal Executive Council (FEC), mourns the death of the former minister of state for health, Gabriel Yakubu Aduku, aged, 80.

Aduku was appointed minister of state for health during the administration of the late former President Umaru Musa Yar'Adua where he played an important role in driving policies that have impacted positively in the health sector of the country.

Akume, in a statement by the director of information in his office, Segun Imohiosen, eulogised the late former minister of state as a man with a Midas touch whose sway as the chairman of the Revenue Allocation Committee of the National Constitutional Conference, birthed the 13 percent derivation formula which is embedded in the 1999 constitution of Nigeria.

Akume described the late former minister as a true embodiment of a politician and a masterful architect, whose unwavering commitment contributed immensely to the eradication of quackery in the architectural field through effective monitoring during his tenure as president of Architects Registration Council of Nigeria (ARCON).

He commiserated with the government and people of Kogi State, as well as his immediate family and prayed to God to grant the soul of the departed eternal repose.