Danjuma Bussa – 1964-2016

The year 1979 was when the International Planning Associates (IPA) submitted its report to the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), at the end of its assignment for the production of Abuja Master Plan. The secretariat was at the then Abuja town, which is now known as Suleja. It was the same year that the name of […]

The year 1979 was when the International Planning Associates (IPA) submitted its report to the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), at the end of its assignment for the production of Abuja Master Plan. The secretariat was at the then Abuja town, which is now known as Suleja. It was the same year that the name of the town which is outside the geographical entity that constitute the FCT, was changed from Abuja to Suleja. However despite the territorial changes after the creation of the FCT, pupils from the FCT primary schools were admitted to secondary schools in Niger State, for the fact that there was no single secondary school in the whole of the FCT at the time of its creation.
After the completion of primary school education in 1979, I and Danjuma Bussa were among the first set of students that got admission to Government Secondary School Izom. There were only two arms of those newly admitted to start form one; Form one A and Form one B, subsequently we had additional arm, largely because of the arrival of those that were considered ‘through-the-windows’. The two of us were placed in Form one A. Danjuma was then nicknamed as the ‘French Master’, because he was the student that always got the highest score in French when we were taught by a Canadian, Mr. Keith Willy who was in Nigeria on a program we knew as CUSO. Tried as I did, I only used to take the second position. 
In 1981, the Niger State Government established four science colleges. Our school was among, courtesy of the handling of the school by the late Malam Naballah Ishaq, a strict disciplinarian, who was the then principal. We were made to sit and pass pure science exams before being retained at Izom. All those that failed were transferred to other secondary schools in the state where art subjects were offered. Again, I and Danjuma Bussa were successful to have made up the 38 students that were retained at the newly transformed Government Science College Izom to read pure science subjects.
At the completion of our secondary school we parted, I went to the School of Basic Studies ABU, where I subsequently graduated, while Danjuma read Chemical Engineering at the Federal University of Technology Minna. We got reunited by chance not long ago on the premises of the FCDA Secretariat. Thenceforth, we never lost contact, unlike before, we are now in the electronic era. It was then that I learnt that upon his graduation he further enrolled for post graduate program and had a Masters Degree in Chemical Engineering at FUT Minna.
Subsequently, he relocated to Port Harcourt and for the past 24 years he was not known as the simple Danjuma Bussa we knew in our secondary school days, but Engineer Perez Danjuma Bussa, and had being in the oil and gas industry as the Founder/Chief Executive Officer of Busdavel Nigeria Limited. Instead of the French Master we called him before I gave him a new name as the Oil Master.
While in the oil business he was a philanthropist and immensely contributed to the development of his community. Not only his original Ketti village but he also got involved in the struggle for the rights of the FCT original inhabitants. Engr. Bussa was subsequently appointed as the Federal Commissioner, representing the FCT at the Revenue Allocation and Fiscal Commission. As a sign of his simplicity and being down-to-earth, despite his wealth and connection, he never lived in the highbrow areas of Maitama or Asokoro, but at his native Ketti village.
After the ground breaking ceremony of the FCT Land Swap project, we were invited for a TV live program, Good Morning Nigeria by the NTA, sometimes in March 2015. Danjuma was invited in his capacity as an FCT indigene and me as a Town Planner who has the knowledge of the Abuja development program. On this subject of the Land Swap, we actually had divergent views. We also belonged to different political camps. However, these never affected our friendship. The last time we spoke was when he called and told me that he has now decamped to our political party. We joked and laughed.
On the first day of the New Year 2016, the PRO of our old school association, Albert Kaura called with the sad information of the demise of our French Master. We all made it a duty to attend his burial at his home village of Ketti, as a sign of our last respect. It was on that event that we got reunited with so many of our old colleagues that we lost contact after leaving secondary school 36 years ago. Almost all the influential indigenes of the FCT also attended our friend’s burial.
We pray that God the Almighty give his dear wife Esther, his entire family and all us, his old colleagues the fortitude to bear his loss. Adieu the French Master, may you rest in peace.