The first democratically elected governor of Borno State, Muhammed Goni, is dead.
He was aged 78 years.
Reports said Goni passed on at the University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital at about 8p.m. on Wednesday.
The cause of death was not disclosed.
Mr. Goni was elected governor of Borno in 1979 four a four year term. He governed the state till 1983 when he lost his second term bid.
He contested for the governorship of Borno state in 2011 under the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) but lost to the to former governor Kashim Shettima, now a senator.
According to Wikipedia, Mohammed Goni was born in 1942 in Kareto, Mobbar Local Government Area, Borno State.
He attended Maiduguri Middle School (1953–55), Borno Provincial Secondary School (1956–61), Provincial Secondary School, Kano (1962–63) and the Institute of Administration, Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria (1964–87), where he gained a BA (Administration), specialising in international affairs.
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In 1977, he transferred to the Nigerian National Supply Company.
In April 1979, Mohammed Goni resigned from the National Supply Company and entered politics.
He was elected as the first civilian governor of the former Borno State, on the platform of the Great Nigeria Peoples Party (GNPP), and was in office from October 1979 to September 1983.
Goni founded the Borno Radio Television (BRTV) to counter the propaganda which was being pumped out of the Federal Government owned and sponsored Nigerian Television Authority (NTA).
Considered by many as one of the best governors of the state, Mr. Goni continued to enjoy the respect and admiration of the people for his past glory.
In retrospect, his period of office was considered one of achievement when compared with his successors.
