Tribute

Tribute: Between Alkasum’s Fantacies And Reality

Dr. Abdullahi B. Pen

What is a Tribute? Historically, or from the point of view of history, it means a payment made by one ruler to another: a payment made by one ruler or state to another as a sign of submission; it also infers an expression of gratitude or praise: Something said or given to show gratitude, praise, or admiration; it also entails the evidence of good: something that is indicative of a value, benefit, or good quality in somebody or something… by this little guiding definition of what a tribute is, we are interested and should only be guided by the last two definition, negating the first one.

Now we know reasons why people write tributes on individuals and personalities, especially whenever dead visited these individuals. It most often describes the good virtues of individuals, their achievement and what they have done to better their own society. These are all done, I want to believe, to have some degree of influence on those still living, so that, the good virtues of the once-lived should be copied by the still living, especially if those personalities are one’s role model.

Saturday 24th September 2005, at about 2 pm, Dr. Bala Usman, died. Bala Usman, is no doubt an undisputable personality, that lived a good life: life that is morally upright, socially near perfect, educationally superb and sound and religiously moderate.

The tribute that was written on the late Bala Usman by his student Dr. Alkasum Abba, dated Tuesday, November 15, 2005 which I got a copy a year later, was read and filed believing that with the crop of personalities: scholars for that matter the late Dr. Bala Usman have groomed, made me conclude that, it is only the ‘physical Bala’ that is gone and we would only miss, but the ‘content Dr Balas’ are all over with us, and perhaps became relaxed that the ideas and the good work of Dr. Bala Usman will continue not only in A.B.U., not only in Zaria, not only in the Centre for Democratic Development Research and Training, CEDDERT, not only in northern Nigeria, Nigeria, Africa, but in the whole world. This conclusion was made on the premise that, if Dr. Bala did all that he has achieved as an individual, the crops of students he has raised, who fundamentally agreed with the intellectual content and philosophy of their versed teacher, the many in the number will accord them the opportunity to change our university system, the polity, the economy and what have you with ease.

This piece is not in anyway an attempt to compare the late erudite ABU academic, but to expose the follies of Alkasum Abba, an erstwhile student of the late scholar and also to show how he has committed a class suicide and going contrary to the teachings of his mater, Dr Bala Usman, and prove to the readers that he has never for once believed in the intellectual values of his master. Comparing all of Alkasum’s writing on the tribute of the late Bala, none did Alkasum Abba believe in.

Alkasum Abba became the sole administrator of the Adamawa State University, Mubi in 2007, after a lot of write-ups in their magazine; the Analysis, insulting the previous government of Adamawa State, under the Boni led administration. He called them names and insulted a lot of individuals and personalities, including our respected custodian of people’s culture and tradition, the traditional rulers. No body was spared including the former president Olusegun Obasanjo. The political responsibilities he is currently holding, I want to believe that if Bala Usman was alive, he could not have accepted it, or rather at best accept it, but raise to the challenges of making he institution better. This is because first and foremost, a sloe administrator is a misnomer in the university environment. He knows a vice chancellor to be the university administrator. Despite the values of correcting the wrongs in our system, he was conspired, aid and abate in truncating the rule of law, by accepting that dictatorial and wicked position.

While some believed that Alkasum Abba was in the Adamawa State University Mubi to improve on the content, structure and functions of that institution, I believe, he came to provide the contrary. Alkasum Abba does not know justice, he will never provide justice. He is only a bureaucratic kleptocrat. He is not like his teacher; their definitions of the good life varies and what he do now as an university sole administrator is very very very disappointing.

This is what Alkasum Abba wrote in his master’s tribute under the theme ‘encouraging the younger generations:

“One of the outstanding virtues of Dr. Bala Usman was his encouragement of members of the younger generation to develop capacity, skills and self-confidence in their various professional fields. In the academic world, for example, he was one of the few who actively promoted the advancement of younger colleagues. It was for this reason that he kept on passing invitations given him, including to conferences outside the country, (emphasis mine) to younger academics….high time the older generation allowed the new, to prove itself…”

Conferences are what develop the academics, it is an avenue for scholars young and old to meet and exchange ideas on new issues and contemporary developments. The first thing Alkasum did when he came to Adamawa state university was to stop financing local conferences, promising that faculties would organize conferences and present papers from within. Up till now, he has refused to sponsor lecturers out to conferences once in a year, which hitherto, was the policy. If your mentor, the late scholar whom you wrote what he said was alive, what could you have told him? The just concluded examinations for 2008/2009 session was rushed, given directives that the examination must start and end in just 10 days… can you see the wickedness of this dictatorial administrator? Is it how you encourage the young ones? Without conferences can the young academics grow?

Because of reckless spending of the university’s resource, you were unable to introduce even a department since when you came, talk less of a faculty. The university’s development schedule provides that after now and then, an additional faculty will be introduced. Why is it not happening?

Alkasum wrote, that;

…Thus, when in 1968 he (Bala Usman) returned from the UK with an honours degree in History from the University of Lancaster, he shocked some of the leading officials of the then North Central State Public Service Commission when he told them that he preferred teaching to administration. This was at a time when administrative work was the vogue among young Northern graduates, because it was the fast lane to power and prestige. The chairman of the Commission even reported Dr Bala Usman to his father, the late Durbin Katsina, in order to try and get him to change his mind. It did not work. He was employed as a teacher and posted to Barewa College, Zaria where he taught history and became head of section by the time he left to join ABU in 1971….

Alkasum have not, he did not and will never follow the foot steps of his mentor, Bala Usman. While Bala Usman prefers to teach and impart knowledge to students and perhaps his younger colleagues, Alkasum prefers the opposite that is administration. He is busy strategizing to become the Adamawa State University’s vice chancellor, that is why he is struggling, making his ways to have his promotion as a vice chancellor. To achieve his aim, he deployed a lot of tactics, including the use of traditional rulers, to lobby to the visitor, so as to actualize his dreams. when he is showering insults and abuses on this respectful elders, his memory was short. He was not analytical in approach. Perhaps, his Phd thesis was something narrative, and does not require analytical technique, and may be his teachers did not taught him analytical history well!

Alkasum Abba, allowed himself to beclouded by some ill-informed personalities that failed in life already, whom are liabilities in themselves. They are not achievers in themselves because they were tested elsewhere and failed; the registrar, the director academic planning, and some deans. They do not know what they do, and are in employment for rehabilitation purposes only.

The Adamawa state house of assembly are yet to pass the pension bill into law, but the diabolical Alkasum Abba, went ahead to start deduction on the salaries of University staff right from when the National Pension Act was brought to law by the federal government, and back-date the deduction from their salary areas, when the movement from HATISS to CONUASS was enacted. However, all these monies deducted, is yet to be remitted to the individual staff pension (PFA) Accounts. Only God knows what he is doing with staff monies. We know that it is against the pension law that pensions proceeds deducted are not remitted to PFA’s within a week. The Staff pension’s contributions in Adamawa state university for about four years are yet to be remitted to the staff PFA.

Alkasum Abba has become a primitive accumulator, with a newly built houses and charade of cars in Yola, Kduna and Abuja, we know who you are and believe that you are out to make money in the wrong place. Governor Murtala Nyako should be careful with Alkasum. We have seen all what wrote on Boni Haruna, claiming to be a saint, here you are now! Can you now account for your stewardship as the Sole Administrator in your state University? You shamelessly negotiate form 20 million Naira as a kick back Maritalia. You are, and you remain a disgrace to the late Dr. Bala Usman.

Abdullahi B. Pen, is lives in Lokuwa Ward, Mubi North, Adamawa State.