It was a week of mourning for Nigeria as the nation lost three of its best brains. First, was the octogenarian, Chief Matthew Tawo Mbu, Nigeria’s former minister of external affairs in the first republic. Mbu who died on Monday, February 6, also held the defence and labour portfolios. He was youngest minister in Nigeria’s history; he was made minister at the age of 22. 
He also served as Nigeria’s ambassador to the United States of America and Germany as well as the chairman of Eastern Nigerian Public Service Commission. 
The late Chief Mbu cut his first political tooth in the first republic as a member of the National Council for Nigeria and Cameroon, NCNC. He was also a member of the Zikist Movement that sought to expound and promote the political philosophy of the Great Zik of Africa. He joined the Nigeria Peoples Party, NPP in the Second Republic and later rose to become the first national vice chairman of the party. 
Sam Aluko, a professor of economics also passed on last week. He was economic adviser to later military dictator, General Sani Abacha. He acted in that same capacity to General Abdulsalami Abubakar when the later became head of state following Abacha’s death. Aluko also worked with Adekunle Ajasin, former governor of old Ondo State.
A man of many parts – teacher, politician, and a stickler for principles, Aluko, despite serving in the Abacha government refused to soil his hard earned reputation.  
His radicalism started from his school days. Even though he was on scholarship of the defunct Western Region in London, this did not stop him from criticising the budget presented by the late Chief Obafemi Awolowo. At a point, his scholarship was withdrawn and he was asked to return home. But the school authorities offered to foot his academic bill.   
In politics, Aluko was the secretary general of the Ekiti Peoples Party in the first republic and he was elected as the chairman of the ado district council. A professor of professors, many economists of note passed through him in his days at the University of Ife now Obafemi Awolowo University where he was the first dean of the faculty of social sciences. 
As if the deaths of Mbu and Aluko were not enough, the nation lost one of its business moguls, Alhaji Abdulkadir Sanusi Dantata. Dantata, chairman/chief executive officer, CEO, of Dantata and Sawoe, a leading construction company in the country, died in Germany on February 7 at 66. 
Humble, focused and a philanthropist Dantata was recently involved in farming, including the bio-fuel renewable energy for clean environment. He is also in the primary stage of developing the mining sector in Nigeria which would assist in divesting the nation’s focus from oil concentration to other sectors that are readily available. 
Late Dantata had sponsored students from different tribes. He belonged to many charity organisations and has built and donated many schools to government, including the Girls Secondary School, Dakata. 
There have been torrents of tributes since the demise of the trio. President Goodluck Jonathan in a condolence letter to the deceased families described their death as a great loss to the country. 
Chief Mbu and Aluko died in London hospitals at the age of 82.

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