Nigeria, Kenya Leaders Mourn As Tanzania President Loses Husband
The husband of Tanzanian President Samia Suluhu Hassan has died on Monday while receiving treatment at a hospital in Zanzibar.
Tanzanian First Gentleman Hafidh Ameir Hassan’s death was officially announced by Vice-President Deogratius Ndejembi.
Nigerian President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has expressed condolences.
So has Kenyan President William Ruto, who expressed his condolences to Samia in a message posted on his X account on Monday.
Ruto said: “I have received with deep sorrow the news of the passing of Hafidh Ameir Hassan, husband of Her Excellency Dr Samia Suluhu Hassan, President of the United Republic of Tanzania,”
According to the VP, Ameir had been suffering from a heart condition and died 8am on Monday at Emilio Mzena Memorial Hospital in Zanzibar.
The Vice-President added that funeral arrangements were underway in Kizimkazi, a village on Zanzibar.
Ameir, an agricultural academic, largely kept a low public profile and rarely appeared alongside his wife at official events.
He became Tanzania’s first First Gentleman after Samia became president in March 2021.
Married in 1978, he and Samia had four children —three sons and a daughter.
Their daughter, Wanu Hafidh Ameir, is a politician and serves in Zanzibar’s House of Representatives.
In his sympathy message, Tinubu described the deceased as President Samia’s lifelong companion who stood beside her for almost five decades, supporting her through different stages of her service to Tanzania.
The Nigerian President said the loss was deeply painful for President Samia, her children and the entire Hassan family, describing the late Hafidh as one of the family’s pillars.
Tinubu, on behalf of the Nigerian government and people, as well as his family, extended his condolences to President Samia, her children, the Hassan family and the people of Tanzania.
He said Nigeria mourned with Tanzania and stood with President Samia and her family during the period of grief, while praying that Almighty Allah grants Hafidh Ameir Hassan eternal rest and gives the family strength to bear the loss.
