It was an emotional night of sorrow and tears as friends, family and associates, eulogised the late Richard Tallen, son of a former Minister of Women Affairs, Pauline Tallen.

The event, held on Saturday in Abuja, was a requiem mass and night of tributes organised as part of the funeral for Mr Tallen, who died on October 6.

Leading the tributes, wife of the Kwara State governor and Chairperson, Nigerian Governors Wives’ Forum, Olufolake Abdulrasaq, described the deceased as a loving and purposeful gentleman when he was alive.

According to Mrs Abdulrazaq, the late Richard touched many lives, hence it behoves those he left behind to keep his memory alive.

She said that doing so would ensure that they were able to cope with the vacuum which his painful death had created.

“He was a good son, a good father, a good friend, a good family member, but now he has left the race. It is up to us to keep his memory alive and make sure that the family does not feel his absence. We will fill the void and continue to stand by this family,” she said.

Also speaking, the wife of former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, Titi Abubakar, said that the deceased left a good legacy for everyone to emulate.

“God has a reason for taking him. There is a time to be born and a time to die. That is the time God has apportioned for him to leave this world,” she said.

Widow of Solomon Lar, the first civilian Governor of Plateau State, Prof Maryb Lar, urged youths to lead exemplary lives worthy of emulation by the next generation, like the deceased.

“He lived for just 41 years but had achieved what would have taken him more than a 100 years to achieve,” Mrs Lar said.

Founder/Chief Executive Officer of CSS Group of Companies, Prof. John Opara, also eulogised the deceased.

“He has run and finished his own race. It is not how long we live but how well we live,” he said.

The event also featured the unveiling of a foundation in memory of the deceased

The late Tallen, who hailed from Shendam in Plateau State, was born on October 12, 1982.

The graduate of computer science from a university in the United States is survived by wife, three children, siblings and in-laws.

(NAN)