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PEOPLE AND POLITICS BY MOHAMMED HARUNA The Death of Abubakar Abdulmalik Mani
At the height of its power and glory in the seventies the New Nigerian was your average politician’s first choice of a newspaper to state his point of view. Kaduna, its hometown, then became a political Mecca of sorts. Any politician who wanted to be heard would fly into Kaduna Airport – then still at Mando, on the skirts of Kawo – make his point and, likely as not, fly straight back.
This situation made the Kaduna Airport correspondents of Nigerian newspapers arguably the most powerful group of reporters in the country. Abubakar Mani was probably the most outstanding of these reporters. He certainly was the best dressed among them. In an age when the stereotype of a reporter was a chain-smoking, beer-guzzling, shabby looking half-literate, that might not be saying much. But then Mani was not only the best-dressed reporter on the airport beat, he was one of the best dressed Nigerians, period. Long before Jim Nwobodo’s trademark designer safari suits made him one of the best dressed governors in the Second Republic, Abubakar sported them on his tall and handsome frame. I also remember that the first time I saw a diamond studded Rolex, it was on Abubakar’s wrist.
Even then Abubakar made his name not as a dapper reporter but as one who reported accurately and precisely. His stories were always short and written in words and syntax that were an editor’s delight; they hardly needed any re-writing. What was true of his news reports was even truer of his column on traditional Hausa music and native boxing, etc, in the Saturday Extra pullout of the New Nigerian. For someone who did not go beyond secondary school education, apart from the courses he attended at the Nigerian Institute of Journalism, Lagos, that was something truly astounding.
In the course of my career at the New Nigerian, Abubakar and I became the best of friends. However, during the Second Republic, politics got in the way of that friendship. As acting editor of the New Nigerian in 1980/81, I had a falling out with the authorities on point of principle and Abubakar pitched his tent on their side. In time it became clear, at least to me, that his rather expensive lifestyle was getting in the way of his professional integrity.
Not long after our friendship hit a bad patch, he moved to Kaduna State Radio as its chief executive. Then, the soldiers struck in December, 1983, and with it his career took a nasty fall. His predictable sack as General Manager was followed by a worse disaster on the home front. Ladi, his beautiful wife of many years, died on the very day she delivered a baby girl after a string of boys. Thus what would have been a moment of great joy turned into a catastrophe.
As if all that was not enough, the then Bank of Credit and Commerce International from which he has taken a hefty mortgage, called in the loan because he was not performing his repayment terms. In the course of calling in the loan they seized the houses that he had built with the loans.
Apparently Abubakar could not take this string of disasters. This was how he came to spend nearly the last 20 years of his life as a psychiatric case.
Fortunately he was never violent. As friends, many of us rallied around to make his life as normal and comfortable as possible. For instance as a director of Peoples Bank, I got him a job in the bank in Zaria to be near his ageing mother and his kids who were living with their auntie. I, along with another friend, Senator Dangana Ndayako, also got former military president, General Ibrahim Babangida, after whom he had named his first son, to contribute to his upkeep. However, rallying around him was not easy for the simple reason that he just would not take his drugs. As a result, although he apparently remained as near normal as a mental case could get, his physical condition deteriorated slowly.
By sheer coincidence, his condition came up for discussion among Alhaji Mohammed Rimi, the Baraden Katsina, Alhaji Lawal Idris, who also knew him, and myself in Alhaji Lawal’s office a few weeks before he died on Saturday, July 7. The Barade suggested, and Alhaji Lawal and myself agreed, that I owed it to Abubakar to get him back into a metal hospital even by the use of force.
Before we could do that God in His wisdom provided the final solution. What is now left for those of us he has left behind is to pray for him. Pray for him that his sufferings in the last 20 years of his life will be rewarded with aljanna firdausi. May Allah also bless the beautiful kids he has left behind. Revisiting Jokolo
Last week retired Col. Dangiwa Umar addressed a press conference on the plight of Alhaji Mustapha Jokolo, the deposed emir of Gwandu. The regular reader of this column will recall that I tried to defend the emir against the charges made against him by the Kebbi State authorities in deposing him in my article of June 8. The article drew several reactions, some face to face, some through e-mail. Among those who spoke to me, not a few thought I allowed my long friendship with the emir to becloud my judgment about his fitness for the job especially since I did admit that he was highly temperamental. Among those who wrote the letter from a lady (?) who called herself simply Rakiya, stood out for its virulent and unadulterated hatred. I am therefore unable to share it with the reader. The edited versions of some of the rest are published below.
However, before publishing the letters, let me join Colonel Umar in revisiting the emir’s fate since his deposition. Most of the emir’s critics thought he deserved his comeuppance. Some said his behaviour and utterances, rather than enhance the dignity and integrity of the still widely respected institution of traditional rulers, only served to undermine those virtues. If that were the case, the method used by the Kebbi State authorities – a night-time cloak and dagger operation, guns and all – was even more disrespectful of the institution. As far as I can recall no emir has ever been removed in such a crude and disgraceful manner in a democracy as Alhaji Mustapha was.
The last time a leading emir was deposed in a democracy, if my memory serves me well, was in 1962 when the powerful Alhaji Muhammadu Sanusi was removed as the Emir of Kano by Sir Ahmadu Bello, the premier of the North. This deposition followed due process, queries and all, and even the setting up of a commission of inquiry. And when the emir was finally removed, he was extended the courtesy of choosing his place of exile and allowed the company of his wives, children and courtiers.
Two months after Jokolo’s cloak and dagger deposition, he is still in solitary confinement in faraway Obi in Nasarawa State. I do not think, as Col. Umar said, the former emir’s condition is “the most harrowing.” Alhaji Abdullahi Adamu, the Governor of Nasarawa State, I am reliably informed, has personally attended to his creature comfort including sending him meals from Government House and detailing a physician to look after him, especially as he has a long history of backache.
Even then a gilded cage is still a cage. Two months after his deposition, it is time he is allowed his freedom to rejoin his family and friends. And the responsibility for this lies fully and squarely with the government of Kebbi State. And now to some of the reactions I received on my original piece of June 6.
*** Sir, Thank you for your efforts as usual. To me, Jokolo lost the battle gallantly, in defence of his people, in defence of the Ummah, and he will surely triumph. Babangida Dangora, Kano. ***
Sir, Reference “in defence of ex-soldiers, in Defence of Jokolo, in Defence of this end that”. You are a real “Aboki”, an avid defender of anything with Islamic connotation. I hope you are getting well paid. Good luck in your “defense” career. Christian Dimkpa Heverlee, Belgium. *** Sir, Reference to your defense of Jokolo. It was well written. This does not, however, mean I agree with your viewpoint. Ndubuisi V. Chimara Martinez, California, USA. *** Sir, Like you, I don’t believe that the offence the Emir was accused of rises to the level of being deposed in a democratic state where freedom of expression is guaranteed. We all know the forces at work and why governor Aliero behaved holier than the Pope. Power is a transient thing. They have it today, they may not have it tomorrow, because ultimate Power belongs to Allah. The institution of traditional rulers in our country has lost its luster. It is even more so in the South where they are now sold two for a penny, where anyone with enough cash, connection and education can be crowned an Oba. Dr. Wunmi Akintide, New York, USA. *** Sir, Reference to your piece in defense of Jokolo. Jazakallahu Khairan (Arabic for may God reward you). Fatimah Suleman ***
Sir, Please refer to your article in defense of Jokolo. I have religiously been reading all your newspaper articles since God decided that I should be here with my family. I read them not because of any other reason but that they have been balanced and objective. I read them also despite the fact that I was aware of your good self being used on at least one occasion, when you were the publisher of Citizen magazine by the same Jokolo, to print an article against me when I was the managing director of Gamji Bank.
Having said so however, I am objective enough to ignore not only your short coming but other people’s short comings whenever I see them being objective and fair. This is what made me to be reading any article written by you. But alas you are only a human being. So unfortunately, this time around (as far as the above article is concerned) you have allowed your heart to rule your head; though you have confessed that he was your friend.
Jokolo is bad for our society. He is not only temperamental but wicked, vindictive and unfit to be an emir or even a common traditional ruler. A traditional ruler is supposed to conduct himself in what we consider the most respective, upright and fair manner towards not only his subjects but to all those he happens to come across while executing his duties. Since his school days, Jokolo has been a wayward individual. You might not have known him then, but if you have any doubt all you need to do is to visit Birnin Kebbi and discuss with ordinary people (his own former subjects), the elite and other traditional rulers, and I bet many people will confirm to you that he is the opposite of all that is a traditional ruler. It was only because it was a military regime, and even that because it was Abacha’s that Jokolo could manage to waggle his way and become a traditional ruler. A lot of things have since happened so all one needs to say in conclusion is that please Mohammed continue being fair and objective and avoid allowing your heart to rule your head. S. B. Abubakar. NB Abubakar has been on self-exile in UK since his bank, on whose board Jokolo served, went into distress during the Abacha era. ***
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