Alhaji Abdullahi B. Yawa: Adieu my mentor

This is one of the difficult tributes I’ve authored in my career as a writer. It took me 72 hours to produce a draft of this piece because of the heavy heart imposed on me by the compelling emotional trauma that absorbed me soon after the sad news of Alhaji Abdullahi Yawa’s death was broken […]

This is one of the difficult tributes I’ve authored in my career as a writer. It took me 72 hours to produce a draft of this piece because of the heavy heart imposed on me by the compelling emotional trauma that absorbed me soon after the sad news of Alhaji Abdullahi Yawa’s death was broken to me by his son, Umar (also called Alhaji). Each time I sat to continue with the draft, memories of his last one-on-one moments with me shortly before he traveled to seek medical attention at an Egyptian hospital kept reverberating on my mind.

Born in Bida, Alhaji Abdullahi Babalalemi Yawa (Galadima Makaranta Nupe)’s demise at the age of 76, exactly on November 11, 2023 at Badran hospital in Cairo came as a rude shock because his voice in our last telephone conversation did not suggest someone who was critically ill. If he was, then he must have (as elders do) endured the pains of the illness to keep his health situation hidden for us. When I was stable enough to write, I didn’t know where and how to begin because there’s so much to be said about a gentleman whose exceptional personality defined him as intelligent, thorough, hardworking, firm, meticulous, independent-minded, forthright, kind, progressive, religious, caring, altruistic, generous, and above all a disciplinarian to the core yet with a sense of humour. Unfortunately, the space available on a newspaper page is grossly insufficient to write about all that should be said about a man who lived to touch and impact upon the lives of generations of young Nigerians during their years of secondary education.

Alhaji Yawa obtained his Teachers Grade II Certificate from the Bida Teachers’ College in 1969. He graduated in 1975 with a B. Sc Geography degree from Wisconsin, USA, and thereafter earned an M. Ed degree in Educational Management from the University of Ilorin in 1988. He began his working career as a primary school teacher in Tsarati 1970 and soon became a headmaster in Gbako. In 1976, Alhaji Yawa became the pioneer Secretary of the Niger State Scholarships Board after the creation of the state. He was principal at Government Science College, Kagara and Government Secondary School, Suleja; both in Niger State.

After transferring his service to the Federal Ministry of Education (FME), Alhaji Yawa was appointed principal of federal government college (FGC), Kwali, Abuja, and headed the school for over a dozen unbroken years. He later served as the Zonal Coordinating Director of the Federal Inspectorate of Education in the FCT, Abuja. In 2005, Alhaji Yawa was appointed Director of the Federal Inspectorate Service at the FME in Abuja. In 2007, he retired from the federal civil service. While in service, he served on several committees at the state and federal levels. He was President of All Nigerian Conference of Principals of Secondary Schools (ANCOPSS) from 1984 to 1985; Member of several Governing Boards at various times including those of the Universal Basic Education, FCT; National Teachers Institute, Kaduna; the Federal Polytechnic, Bida; and the Federal Polytechnic, Kaura Namoda.

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In 2019, Alhaji Yawa was turbaned as Galadima Makaranta Nupe and appointed member of the Bida Emirate Council by the Etsu Nupe, Alhaji (Dr.) Yahaya Abubakar. Because he was not tired in retirement, he was appointed by the Etsu Nupe in 2022 to Chair the Bida Emirate Book Project Committee with a mandate to produce and publish a book titled “Perspectives on the History of Bida Emirate, C. 1500 – 2023” to commemorate the 20th anniversary of 13th Etsu Nupe, Alhaji (Dr.) Yahaya Abubakar.

Teaching job brought Alhaji Yawa and myself together at FGC, Kwali, Abuja, soon after the school was established in 1984. Although I went there at the instance of Alhaji Umaru Nma Agaie, the then principal of the school; Alhaji Yawa was to become my lead mentor in my career. With just NCE as my highest qualification then, he closely guided me, demonstratively encouraged me, and fulsomely supported me, one stage after the other, until I earned a PhD degree under his direct mentorship. Even after my professorship in the university, he never stopped mentoring me. He gave me all the moral backing as a teacher and writer to become a columnist with the Daily Trust newspaper more than 20 years ago.

Up to the year 2000, FGCs were elitist schools. FGC Kwali, particularly in the 1980s and 1990s, was one unity school every minister, perm sec, director, emir or chief, business mogul wanted his child to attend. This, sadly, created a disciplinary exigency for the school. As principal of principals (using the words of his colleagues), he had zero tolerance for any form of indiscipline by students, parents and even staff. Bullying among students, non-attendance of lessons by teachers, and over-pampering of children by parents had appropriate sanctions under him. At a point, he bought whips for his two VPs, for myself as senior form master, and for the senior boarding-house master; all for the sake of reforming the character of recalcitrant students. When lessons were on, he would call me and together we would go to the perimeter-end of the school which students named ‘airport’ to chase and capture students leaving the school through the bush-exit back into school.

Dozens of his students who are now ‘big men’ as medical doctors, engineers, senior police officers, bank executives, military generals, academics, lawyers and industrialists came by air from Lagos, Port Harcourt, and Enugu to attend his janaza (funeral) prayer which held at the national mosque in Abuja on Tuesday November 14, 2023. They followed us to the cemetery, and after the burial, to his Abuja residence. While there, one of them who said I was once his house master at FGC Kwali told me many of them would never have become responsible persons in life if it were not for Alhaji Yawa’s commitment as their principal. If large crowd at janaza meant mercy as opined by scholars, we can only wish Alhaji Yawa more based on the crowd witnessed at his janaza. While at Bida, the Etsu Nupe attended the fidau prayer for Alhaji Yawa, and after the prayer, paid a condolence visit to the deceased family house in Sabongida area of Bida.

Our deep-rooted affiliation suggested to those who knew us together that I must be his close relation if I was not a member of his family. Alhaji Yawa’s trust and confidence in me was never in doubt as he expressed same through his actions. During ceremonies in his house, for example, he made me to be in charge in the real sense of the word; giving me all the funds needed for everything. Whenever there was a ceremony in my house particularly children’s weddings, Alhaji Yawa would send a car-load of foodstuff, clothes, and cash to me through his wife, Hajiya Umm Kalthum (fondly called Nna-Kantum). Not one day throughout our nearly four decades of mutual bond did we lose each other’s company or confidence.

Little did I know that I was writing part of this tribute in Alhaji Yawa’s presence on September 30, 2018. This was at a walimah (feast) organized in my honour by my son-in-law and his wife. The event was attended by select personalities including Malam Kabiru Yusuf, Chairman of the Media Trust Limited, who chaired it. The event also had Malam Mahmud Jega, the then Sudanese Ambassador to Nigeria, and Prof Aliyu Yabagi Isah in attendance. Same day in the evening, Alhaji Yawa’s wife called me on phone and said Yaman (as he was fondly called) told her on return from the walimah that he was fulfilled to have me as one of his disciples. Alhaji Yawa would tell me each time we met in the past few months, “Malam Ndagi, you have to be patient. It would be difficult to have most things in the most credible and honest manner you want them in today’s Nigeria.”

Alhaji Yawa would be missed by his friends, classmates, associates, and relations too numerous to be listed. While Senator U. K. Umar, Prof Ismail Jumaidu, Prof Ismail Tsiga, and Alhaji Ahmed Adamu (all in Abuja) will miss him, Dr Usman Bokani Ahmed would certainly miss him most. He is survived by his wife, Nna-Kantum, a step-mother, siblings, and seven children namely Abdulkadir, Maimuna, Maikudi, Umar (Alhaji), Musa, Aisha, and Usman. May Allah grant him eternal mercy and forgiveness, amin.