Eminent educationist, former minister and former president of Naga Students’ Federation (NSF) Prof. T. Chuba passed away at 6.30 a.m. Sunday at Zion hospital Dimapur due to cardiac arrest. He was 72 and is survived by his wife Sanenla Chuba.
Prof. Chuba’s funeral service would be held at his private residence, Ao Kashiram village, near Ao Baptist Church, Kashiram, Dimapur (Near St. John’s Higher Secondary School, Dimapur) Monday at 2 p.m. Prof. T. Chuba was born on February 15, 1940 at Longjang village, Mokokchung district.
He was the eldest son of late Temsu. He completed his matriculation from the Government High School Mokokchung and studied graduation at St. Anthony’s College, Shillong and completed his Masters from Gauhati University.
He was also the founder president of Naga Youth Society and first general secretary of the Naga Integration Council. After serving as the principal of Kohima College from 1973 to 1979, he went on to become the examiner of Gauhati University and chief examiner of North-Eastern Hill University.
Prof. Chuba was first elected to the Nagaland Legislative Assembly in 1987 from the 23-Impur A/C as an independent candidate. When re-elected from the same constituency as a Congress candidate, Prof. Chuba became the finance minister and later education minister.
After winning the 1998 assembly election, he was appointed minister of higher & technical education and later minister of science & technology, land revenue. Prof. Chuba also served as the general secretary of North-Eastern Congress Co-ordination Committee from 1993 to 1997.
As an eminent educationist, Prof. Chuba represented the country to various international scholar exchange programmes and visited universities and academic institutions in the United States. In 2001, he led a team to Denmark to study the Danish system of education.
CM, DLST condole
Meanwhile, state chief minister Neiphiu Rio has stated that he was “deeply pained” to hear the news of the demise of Pro. T. Chuba.
Stating that Prof. T. Chuba was a senior colleague of his with whom he had a “very close association”, Rio said that Prof. T. Chuba’s his deep concern for the welfare of the people made him join active politics and contest the elections to Nagaland Legislative Assembly in 1974 and also subsequent elections.
Rio said that Prof. T. Chuba has made significant contributions to the advancement of the state for which he would continue to be remembered in the years to come.
Stating that he was a kind, approachable and friendly person to everyone, the chief minister said that Prof. T. Chuba’s passing away has created a vacuum not only in the family and amongst his relatives and dear ones but also in the Naga society. It was a great loss to the people of the state in general and to the Ao community in particular.
Rio said that at this hour of grief, he and his wife offered deepest condolence to the members of the family and prayed to the Almighty to tide over this irreparable loss.
DLST: Dimapur Longjang Senso Telongjem president Bendang Aier has conveyed its condolences to the bereaved family. He said that Prof. Chuba’s demise was a big loss for Longjang villagers in particular and Nagas in general. The union further said that it prayed for “eternal rest” of the departed soul.