Mohammed: My Mother’s Death Has Left a Vacuum

As the Babangidas grapple with the loss of their matriarch, Maryam, her first son, Mohammed, has described his last moments with her as a wonderful experience, saying she has left a vacuum in the lives of every member of the family.
Maryam Babangida died last Sunday at the age of 61 in the United States after a long battle with ovarian cancer and was buried in the early hours of yesterday beside the mosque at the family compound in Minna, Niger State.
Speaking to newsmen in Minna yesterday, Mohammed said: “The death of our mother is a big blow to every member of our family and those whose lives she has touched in one way or the other. All the testimonies about her life by people, is an attestation that she actually lived a good life.”

Mohammed said the period he spent with her in the hospital increased the bond in their relationship.
According to him, “As you know, I was with her in the hospital and even when she breathed her last and all the while we were together, we shared beautiful memories of the past and she kept telling me of how happy and fulfilled she was.
“I have no regrets today because I am consoled in the fact that my mother lived a good life and lived a fulfilled life.”
He described the responsibility of running his mother’s businesses especially the El-Amin International School as a “big shoe”.
“It will be difficult to fit into the big shoe my mother has left but we have no option but to succeed because we know it was her passion and she loved it so much that we cannot afford to let her down at this time,” he added.

He said his mother had contributed immensely to the development of education in Nigeria and the parents, staff and students of the El-Amin International had shown great dedication since the founder took ill in August.
The former first lady had died around noon last Sunday at the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA)’s Jonson Comprehensive Cancer Center in the US.
Her husband and former military President, General Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida, and Mohammed were with her when she passed on.