Nigerian president, Plateau State governor mourn death of NASCO’s Ahmed Idris Nasreddin

Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari and Plateau State Governor Simon Lalong have expressed their condolences to the NASCO family over the death of Ahmed Idris Nasreddin, the Eritrean founder of the Jos-based NASCO Group.

Recently, National Accord reported that Nasreddin died at the age of 97.

Buhari described Nasreddin’s death as “a great loss to Plateau State and the entire country.” He noted that the industrialist’s pioneering role in agriculture in northern Nigeria since 1963 was a historic stride, for which the country will remember him.

Nasreddin established NASCO in Jos, Nigeria, in 1963, as the first jute bag factory in Nigeria and Sub-Saharan Africa. He established the company in response to the need to meet the challenges for bagging, storing and exporting agricultural products.

According to Governor Lalong, this passion saw the company grow from its small beginnings to becoming a major conglomerate with interests in manufacturing, real estate, hospitality and logistics, and trading.

Commenting on behalf of the government and people of Plateau State, Lalong said Nasreddin’s death was a monumental loss for the state and country. In the last two decades, NASCO has operated doggedly in the crisis-ridden business environment of Jos, he said, where it employs many people.

“NASCO has over the years remained a major employer of labor in Plateau State and continues to contribute to the economic prosperity of the State and Nigeria at large through tax revenue and corporate social responsibility,” he stressed.

NASCO Group is one of the largest fast-moving consumer goods companies in West Africa. It also has one of the most efficient distribution networks in northern Nigeria, ensuring its products reach millions of homes. Today, it is the largest private employer and taxpayer in Plateau State and one of northern Nigeria’s largest private employers.