ADIEU, MALLAM MAGAJI DAMBATTA!

The Daily Trust of Thursday aptly called him one of the great pillars of the North. Born in 1931, Mallam Magaji was a classmate of the late Emir of Kano, Alhaji Ado Bayero, at Kano’s famous Rumfa College when it was a Middle School. For us in Kano, Mallam was significant in his long-time chairing […]

The Daily Trust of Thursday aptly called him one of the great pillars of the North. Born in 1931, Mallam Magaji was a classmate of the late Emir of Kano, Alhaji Ado Bayero, at Kano’s famous Rumfa College when it was a Middle School. For us in Kano, Mallam was significant in his long-time chairing of Inuwar Jama’ar Kano (known as Kano Forum), a community-centred voluntary organisation which he, along with some other reputable citizens of Kano, founded in 1997 to address the various problems that militate against meaningful progress, especially in education.
Astute in community service, Mallam was also a former chairman of the Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF) and was a member of most Nigerian constitutional conferences before the just ‘concluded’ National Conference. At this contrived Political Summit called ‘National Conference’ of ‘The New and Amended’, the grand elder statesman led Kano-origin members such as Professor Auwalu Yadudu, Barrister Muzzammil Hanga and Mallam Sule Hamma to commendable outings, while the Northern Delegates, led by retired Inspector General of Police Ibrahim Coomassie, benefitted immensely from the counsel and wisdom of Mallam Magaji – fearless, analytical, eloquent and, even at 83, very in with the times.
A few years ago, Mallam and the immediate family celebrated fifty years of his marriage to his wife. It was made a public event to shame the young couples of today who do not value this venerable institution. At the well-attended Walima at Sani Abacha Indoor Sports Hall in Kano, Mallam Ibrahim Shekarau, then Governor of Kano State and now Minister of Education, particularly eulogised this great ‘dan boko’ who, despite the lure of lucre, had remained straight, unbending, upright, steadfast (as, of course, in Tsayuwar Alihi Ga Allo). The younger Mallam (Shekarau) praised the older Mallam (Magaji) for being one of the thinkers behind Shekarau’s A Daidaita Sahu (Societal Reorientation) programme, as Council Member No. 3 after the Governor and the Emir.
Many sympathisers from all over the country who do not know how to contact Mustafa Dambatta and the other biological children of the late sage have been emailing and texting me their condolences on the sage’s demise. Yes, ana laha! (Arabic for: it is my potion! I deserve to be condoled). Personally, Mallam Magaji was a teacher and a role model. In fact, on this page almost three years ago (precisely November 2011), we had cause to celebrate Mallam Magaji on the occasion of his conferment with the national honour of CON. We had then written:
“[We today celebrate] Alhaji (Dr.) Magaji Dambatta, OFR, Northern Nigeria’s most decorated, most celebrated and most honoured veteran journalist. Come this Monday [November 14, 2011], President Goodluck Jonathan is going to add another honour to this illustrious son of Kano, the award of Commander of the Order of the Niger, CON, in addition to the Officer of the Federal Republic, OFR, awarded him thirty years ago by President Shehu Shagari.)
“In the 30 years between the two events, Alhaji Magaji has continued to be engaged in the service of Nigeria diligently, honourably and selflessly. In all the areas he has served, his trademark can be encapsulated in one word: integrity. He is indeed an honour to the concept of national honours. In the list published in the newspapers…on the 2011 honours roll, most awardees were given descriptions of their callings or statuses: Minister, Senator, Traditional Ruler, Army General, Governor, Economist. In the case of Alhaji Magaji, he was cited with the singular honour of being a Statesman, in addition to being called First Generation Journalist and Public Servant. No citation can ever beat that.
“An honour for Dr. Dambatta is more than well deserved. He would never solicit or lobby for one (as we know our so-called leaders of today would and do). In fact, if honours are bought and sold (as sadly they are in Nigeria’s reality), Alhaji Magaji cannot even afford to buy one for himself. He has so much of what the Hausa call ‘mutunci’, or self dignity. He is a ‘dattijo’, in the real meaning of the Fulfulde and Hausa word.
“Alhaji Magaji…remains (to our great delight as young journalists) so attached to his profession of journalism. He reads and comments on everything current and historical. In journalism, he had begun his career as a reporter with the first newspaper in Kano, Zik’s Daily Comet, whose publishing base was transferred from Lagos to Kano in order to provide a political platform for the struggle against British colonial rule. He was later to edit the Hausa section of the paper from 1950 to 1953. Journalism led him to politics.
“Sixty one years ago [by 2011], a group of Eight Young Men met on the Eighth Day of the Eighth Month (08/08/50 as they say in radical Kano mythology) to form the first political party in Northern Nigeria, the leftist Northern Elements Progressive Union, NEPU. Magaji was then a 19-year old youngster, but he took the minutes of that meeting as Assistant General Secretary. That meeting became seminal in the future of politics not only in Kano or the North, but in Nigeria as a whole. It was that momentous meeting that made Kano what it became in the potpourri of Nigeria’s politics as the centre of radical politics. Mallam Aminu Kano was to later join that Group of Eight and later lead NEPU.
“In a citation read back in 2003 when Bayero University, Kano, honoured Alhaji Magaji with a degree of Doctor of Letters, he was described further as ‘a God-fearing man; an honourable man; a man who, despite the brilliance of his intellect, and his mastery of the political process in Nigeria, yet remains a simple and great servant of the people; a great benefactor of mankind; an erudite scholar and man of the people, respected and recognised by his people and the nation…’
“But perhaps the best tribute to this great man comes from another elder statesman and technocrat, Chief Philip Asiodu, CON, the Izoma of Asaba. In a personal letter to Alhaji Magaji this September, after reading the latter’s autobiography, PULL OF FATE, Chief Asiodu said, among other things: ‘I have…read your autobiography carefully from cover to…Particularly informative for me is the account of the origins of NEPU, its early history, the challenges it faced…It is very good that in commenting admiringly on your very significant contributions in public life…the Emir of Kano…emphasised your enduring devotion to the great values of patriotism, hard work and selfless service to the people and commitment to any activity that would advance the well-being of the people…
“‘These,’ continued Chief Asiodu, ‘are the values which one cannot urge too often or too emphatically on our current politicians and leaders in all sectors of our society. Your autobiography is a welcome illustration that one can serve one’s country without self-seeking and greed, and make lasting contributions promoting the general welfare of the people, and yet live an agreeable, comfortable, happy and respected life, and hopefully will be kindly remembered and honoured when we would all have returned to our Maker.’ This was Chief Philip Asiodu on Alhaji Magaji Dambatta. Need one say more?”
Mallam Magaji has returned to his Maker. May Allah forgive him and give the family and all of us the fortitude to bear his loss. And may Allah continue to make us STEADFAST in our journey through His trials. HasbunalLahu wa ni’imal Wakeel!