@ Katsina times 

World acclaimed play wright and great literary genous William Shakespeare in one of his plays said " Life is like a stage where one play his part and exited for others to play their part" Thus true to that on Thursday 16th January 2o25 the entire working journalists in Katsina state and beyond were thrown into   great mourning. It was on that day that the cold hand of death snatched away one of the best brain in both broad cast and the print media.Lawal Saidu Fungus till his death remains dedicated and committed to the pen profession perhaps in appreciation of what he was able to accomplish Ed in his more than three decades of sajourn in the field of journalism in fact the deceased one can say has seen it all in his choosen Carr rear. As a matter of fact we started journalism work with late Lawal Funtua at the then  KATSINA State Broadcasting  Cooperation_ KSBC,However in less than two years with the radio Funtua switched over to the print media and moved to Kaduna where he joined the defunct Today and A Tau  newspaper a weekly tabloids owned by late Abidina Commassie of blessed memories.While there late Funtua displayed his hidden talent in writing as within a short while he became one of the good writers with the paper and effectively contributing to both the English and the vernacular paper.After some. Years he Left and the saying goes a golden fish has no hiding places  thus the Leadership Newspapers found late Lawal worthy and recruited him to serve as  a correspondent of the paper in Katsina state a duty he did with devotion commitment and sacrifices to create an inhce for the paper and himself as a person. Stilll in the print Lawal Funtuaas lately served as the state correspondent of Peoples Daily Newspapers till his last breath in this world..Interestingly however Late Lawal to be a publisher himself by  introducing an Online Newspaper " THE BLUE INK' Indeed courtesy of his experiences in the print media industry where like I earlier stated     spanning about three decades the Online publication turned out to a cynosure of large fallowings of subscribers,Also in the course of his carrear Lawal went to Ahmadu Bello University Zaria for a Master's Degree in International Affairs and. Diplomacy _ MIAD while previously he obtained a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Hausa in the 9is .Late Lawal was fully groomed for journalism as he spent a lot in self development .Infact he wouldnt mind any amount to buy books or materials that would add to his knowledge not only in journalism but in other endeavors.He became an avid writer over time.In the course of his carrier he served for two terms as a Chairman of the state Correspondent of Nigeria Union of Journalist_ NUJ Late Lawal was humane level headed easy going and never boastful.Again l have in my three decades of association with Late Lawal I have never ever seen him fighting dirty with any of his colleagues either juniors or seniors.Indeed such was his character and attitudes while alive,He always looks calm calculative and pro active almost on daily basis.Alas! all that is no More as Lawal Said u Funtua has finally joined his ancesstors to the next world, GLUTTON as he was known by his colleagues while at College of Advance Studies CAS Zaria and later at ABU Zaria deserved our prayers for God Almighty to Grant eternal rest to his having from protracted illness before his demise. May Almighty God bless his nine children and give courage and fortitude to them as well as his relations friends and association's to. bear with this great LOSS. Surely and without any iota of doubt Lawal Saidus Funtuas death was indeed an Exit of a Rare Breed In Journalism. Allah Ya Gafarta  Masa Ya Kyautata Tamu Bayan sa.ameen

Bako was former editor at Katsina state radio service.now writes for Katsina times media group