Auchi: Learning from the only emirate in Southern Nigeria (III)

Professor Bawa was the same person with whom I had a long telephone conversation barely a week ago when he gave me much of the details about the Nupe in Auchi which took most part of last week’s piece on this page. I never knew we were talking for the last time. The emptiness of […]

Professor Bawa was the same person with whom I had a long telephone conversation barely a week ago when he gave me much of the details about the Nupe in Auchi which took most part of last week’s piece on this page. I never knew we were talking for the last time. The emptiness of this life is, indeed, too transient for man to be proud of. We are only and truly far from death by the thickness of a hair. I was told death came upon on him while he was in a meeting in Zaria. He was the immediate past National President of the Nigeria Association of Teachers of Arabic Language and Literature (NATALL) whom I succeeded barely a year ago. He was a brilliant colleague. I was devastatingly weighed down by the sudden news of his demise and struggled for the next three hours to bring myself out of the shock. 
I didn’t find it easy to decide whether to replace what I already prepared for the column (the third and concluding part of the discourse on Auchi) with a tribute on Professor Bawa, which I did not immediately have the psychological stability to do; or send what I have prepared to the editor even though its subject matter will not appeal to a mourning heart. The second option was easier for me to choose given the spur-of-the-moment circumstance I found myself. I therefore allowed the already prepared piece, though against the desire of my bereaved heart, to go. I employ readers to join me in praying to Allah (SWT) to forgive Professor Bawa and make Jannat ul-firdaus his final abode, amin. I sincerely condole with their royal highnesses The Etsu Nupe Alhaji Yahaya Abubakar and the Otaru of Auchi Alhaji Aliru H. Momoh.
At the 2014 Auchi Day, Professor Z. I Oseni who gave the opening and closing prayers also delivered a lecture on ‘The role of women in Islamic learning in Auchi’. Another guest speaker at the occasion was Sheikh Hussaini Yusuf Mabara, a comparative religious scholar, who talked on “Al-Qur’an: the Final and Universal Message of Allah”.
A 2014 occasion was graced by crème de la crème of Auchi. Royal Guests of Honour present at the occasion include the Emir of Zuru, General Muhammad Sani Sani (Rtd) and representative of the Emir of Borgu in Niger State Senator Haliru Dantoro. In attendance from the Auchi Royal family were the Daudu of Auchi Kingdom Prince Azeez Momoh and the Orhi-gie of Afenmai Princess Rakiyah Constance Momoh.
Another event at the occasion was a debate between two schools. A young school boy proposed the topic ‘Money is better than knowledge’ while a girl opposed it. The proposing speaker enumerated a long list of points to support his views including that: ‘you need money to buy food and cloth; to build mosques and houses’; adding that ‘poverty leads to disbelief’. He quoted a hadith of the Prophet (SAW) which says ‘the hand that gives is better than the one that receives’. He then asked the audience: ‘can you use knowledge to build a mosque?” and the audience answered ‘No’. He ended by saying ‘you need money not knowledge to do everything in this world’.
The opposing speaker who though had less points mentioned that ‘you need knowledge to manage money if you are lucky to have it’; and that ‘scientists and scholars like Galileo and Wole Soyinka became popular because of knowledge and not because they were rich’. The speaker continued and said ‘money, not knowledge, is the root of many evils’. She then concluded with a statement that threw the entire audience into a very loud ovation when she said “it was money not knowledge that took James Ibori to a London prison”. When it was time for his speech, the Edo state SSG who represented Governor Oshiomhole added more points to the opposing speaker; probably to facilitate he victory of the opposing speaker. That was not surprising, coming from a professor. The organizers refused to announce any side in the contest as a winner. I guess it was because they did not want young contestants to downplay knowledge since from their presentations; the proposing speaker seemingly had more points.
While Professor Zakariyau was delivering his lecture, a popular politician arrived at the venue with his large company of followers in a manner that nearly disrupted the programme. I don’t really know why politicians behave this way. They go to functions very late and in a “show-off” manner. But the Master of Ceremony Alhaji Usman Abudah whose choice of words and expressions for situations is exceptional quickly announced that ‘those who arrived late should find a place to sit quietly and should stop drawing attention to themselves’. A journalist by training, Usman’s eloquence makes him the “Maitama Sule” of Auchi.
At the occasion was also a ‘tug of war’ between the Nigerian Army and the Nigeria Police; both of Auchi. The winner in this contest should ordinarily be obvious but because of what happened at the 2013 Auchi Day during which the Vigilante Group of Auchi defeated the Nigerian Army side in a similar competition; a winner was not readily predictable. I’m still looking for reasons to explain why the army lost in the 2013 tug of war contest. However, the way by which the army charged in to the arena was so intimidating that the audience after a few moments quickly resolved that the police were fighting a lost ‘battle’ with their opponents in the contest.
May Allah (SWT) continue to keep us on the path of guidance; and make good our end, amin.