Dankande: A Unique Mosque, a Travellers’ Oasis

The popularity of the mosque is overwhelming. Believers of different faiths use the mosque for different purposes. While the Muslims stopover to answer the call of nature, eat, pray or even buy souvenirs, their Christian counterparts, surprisingly, do same. What usually differs is the mode of worship.   The Dankande Travellers’ mosque has been a […]

The popularity of the mosque is overwhelming. Believers of different faiths use the mosque for different purposes. While the Muslims stopover to answer the call of nature, eat, pray or even buy souvenirs, their Christian counterparts, surprisingly, do same. What usually differs is the mode of worship.

 

The Dankande Travellers’ mosque has been a source of relief for many travellers from different parts of the country. The facilities in the mosque provide room for refreshment and those amenities and conveniences at the mosque add to the popularity of the place. Another factor that makes the mosque to continue enjoying its current patronage is the non-discriminatory policy of the mosque’s management.

Irrespective of a traveller’s belief, tribe or region, the Dankande travellers’ mosque is there to welcome him. The serene environment of the mosque makes it more attractive for travellers who want to relax before continuing with their journey.

Whatever the purpose that a traveller decides to use the mosque for, the founder of the mosque, Alhaji Sule Bako, said he has established the mosque for rewards from Allah.

“This is why we don’t discriminate and we don’t charge anything as a fee for using any facility of the mosque from any type of a traveller. Some people, especially Christians, usually ask for the fee to pay after using our facilities in the mosque. They usually become surprised when they are told that we don’t charge anything; that we have developed the place for people to use so that we can get reward from God. A traveller spends money only when he visits a restaurant, Suya joint or any other joint or shops by the mosque.

Therefore, apart from praying or answering the call of nature, travellers stopover to relax, buy souvenirs or even eat in any of the restaurants here. Some travellers only stop at the mosque to buy Suya, while others use the place for relaxation. So, people use the mosque for different purposes but we feel that our non-discriminatory policy help in making this place more popular and we feel that is also increasing our rewards from Allah,”  Alhaji Sule Bako, the founder of the mosque, explained.

Many travellers interviewed by Sunday Trust described the Dankande travellers’ mosque as one of the best travellers’ spots in northern Nigeria.

“This place is unique,’’ Musa Sada, a traveller met at the mosque by our roving correspondent, said. “The management of the place are wonderful people. They manage the place very well that it is hardly to come here and see something that would disturb your mind. The toilets and the general environment are always kept clean. The Suya and other joints are adding colour to this place. In fact, this place is wonderful. Anytime I come here, I feel at home because of variety of things available here. Though the travellers are trying in the upkeep of the place through our little voluntary donations but members of the management deserve commendation for their concern for the well being of travellers.”

For Mr Charles Nwazuke, the Dankande travellers’ mosque was an eye-opener to him. The mosque has made Mr Nwazuke to conceive an idea of establishing a similar centre in an area around his hometown in Imo State.

“My first time of being here was in 1990. I was travelling with my family then when we decided to stopover to ease ourselves and relax a bit. My wife was scared that we may not be allowed to use the place because it is a mosque. I told her that we should make a trial and if they refuse us then we can move. To our utmost surprise, however, when the cleaners saw us they directed us appropriately. Having finished what we want to do, I began to look around for a cashier or waiter so that we can settle our bill. None was available, surprisingly. I therefore asked one of the cleaners around to direct me to where I can pay for the service we enjoyed with my family members. We pondered in surprise when the cleaner told us that using everything there is free of charge.

Since that time to date, anytime I am travelling to Kano from Imo state, this place uses to be where I pop in to relax, eat and do other things. Since our first visit, the impression of my wife about north and Muslims has changed.” Mr Nwazuke said.

Alhaji Sule Bako, the founder of the mosque, said he had conceived the idea of developing the mosque in 1959.

“That time,” he said, “I was working in Kano. Anytime I am travelling from Kano to Kaduna or from Kaduna to Kano, I noticed that there was no single place where travellers can drop by to pray, relax or ease themselves. Having known that I have the ambition of developing a travellers’ mosque, my elder brother, Danladi Makari, gave me a piece of land to develop the mosque and also use the land as a farm. Since the land was by the side of the old Kaduna-Kano road, I used a part of it to build a mosque. That was how we started. We put pots in the mosque where we store water. When travellers noticed that we store water in the pots coupled with the fact that there was a mosque nearby, they began to stop by to pray.”

Alhaji Bako said when the new Kaduna-Kano express road was to be constructed around 1986 and the road construction was to take parts of his farm, he contacted the contractors to advise him on where to develop the new site of his mosque.

“After they finished their studies, they advised me that this place was the right place for the mosque. The mosque is therefore in my farm. Since that time to date, the mosque has been developing because many travellers have taken it upon themselves to be assisting us. This road network you are seeing here was constructed by some good Samaritans. Some people have built toilets for us; others have dug boreholes and wells, among many other facilities. I don’t want to mention names, but people of goodwill have really contributed in developing this place to where it is now.

I, in particular, I am always happy to see how the mosque is touching the lives of travellers on daily basis. This was why I set up a Fund for the management of the mosque. The wisdom behind setting up the Fund, which involves many respected individuals, including my sons, is for the place to keep on moving even after my demise. I am above 70 now with over 14 children, therefore anytime from now it may be over for me. I don’t want to die with the mosque,” Alhaji Bako said.

Despite the tremendous progress that the Dankande travellers’ mosque is making, coupled with the contributions the mosque is receiving from well meaning Nigerians, the mosque is facing some challenges, such paying staff salaries.

“We have about 20 male and female staff. Before, paying their salaries was never a problem but now we find it difficult, sometimes, to pay them. The mosque is run by the contributions that travellers make. Travellers voluntarily put donations in our donation boxes. As I said earlier, most of the facilities we have here were constructed or donated by some well meaning people. Nowadays, I don’t know whether it is because of the economic situation of the country, the donations are not forthcoming. As such we usually have problem of paying salaries, buying diesel for our leister generator, among many other problems.

We have a policy that we don’t go and ask people for help. But we allow people to voluntarily make their contribution to the course of Allah and humanity. Apart from that we also need more conveniences. During weekends, when we have higher influx of people, the toilets we have are not meeting the demands of the teaming travellers at a time. It is only on Mondays that this place receives less travellers but in all the other days of the week, this place  always witnesses a beehive of activities from morning to late in the night. I think people of goodwill should continue doing what they are doing for this mosque. We shouldn’t get tired of the work of Allah and humanity,” Alhaji Bako advised.

On his part, the Imam of the mosque, Malam Aminu Ibrahim, said armed robbers had nearly scared away people from the mosque some years ago.

“One issue,” Malam Ibrahim said, “that nearly rendered this place useless was the frequent visits of armed robbers to the mosque. Armed robbers, some years back, frequently came here to attack travellers and rob them of their belongings. This made some travellers afraid of coming here. We were disturbed because we don’t know where to go for help then. We remained in that dilemma for a long time until I advised the founder that we should talk to Uba Ringim, the then Deputy Inspector General of Police, because he often stoped here to pray. We were lucky when I just saw him here performing ablution some days after we have agreed to talk to him. That was how he directed for the stationing of policemen in the mosque and since then that problem of armed robbers was overcome. We thank Allah for that.”

Another factor that makes the Dankande travellers’ mosque attractive to travellers is the absence of hoodlums and other nuisance.

“What we did was to organise ourselves and monitor all the people that come here. We have records of shop owners here. Even the Fulani women selling Fura da Nono (A Hausa/Fualani meal) have their own shades that we provided for them. Therefore, all our activities here are moving in the order we arrange them. For Almajirai we provide a ‘camp’ for them outside this place where people who want to give them alms can go there and give them. We also requested the food vendors and restaurant owners here to be gathering the remainants of food left by travellers for the use of those among the Almajirai who may be in need. In a nutshell, we have a system here that works with our orders and policies,” Malam Ibrahim explained.

Malam Ibrahim said that the little revenue being generated from the shop owners is used in helping the founder of the mosque, who is a retired civil servant.

“Yes, we collect some token amounts from shop owners here monthly. Out of the little amount we generate monthly, we give part of it to the founder of the mosque who is always here with us as a retired civil servant. We also use part of the amount in the day to day running of the mosque. Despite all these efforts, we still have shortfall of funds to settle some of the problems facing the mosque. People of goodwill need to do more for this place in order for it to continue running smoothly,” Malam Ibrahim said.

According to a shop owner in the premises of the Dankande travellers’ mosque, doing business at the mosque is profitable.

“We thank Allah for everything because we are making a living here. Some of our traders have even gone to Mecca this year. Therefore, we have nothing to say than to thank Allah and the founder of this place who allows us to trade here and earn a living,” the trader said.

The unity of Nigeria can be fostered, according to observers, if the example of the Dankande travellers’ mosque would be emulated and put into practice by Nigerians in their different spheres of lives. While the Dankande travellers’ mosque continues to witness influx of travellers, the management of the mosque is keeping its fingers crossed to receive assistance from well meaning Nigerians for the continuous running of the mosque, which has turned into a top-class travellers’ recreation centre.