I was close to General Murtala and even those who killed him in 1976 coup – Alhaji Mu’azu Alhaji

Why are you called Alhaji Alhaji?In the traditional Hausa setting, anybody born on sallah day or on Friday is called Alhaji. So my father was born on Sallah Day. He was called Alhaji. And when he went to Mecca on pilgrimage, he was called Alhaji Alhaji. That was why his official car was Alhaji Alhaji […]

Why are you called Alhaji Alhaji?
In the traditional Hausa setting, anybody born on sallah day or on Friday is called Alhaji. So my father was born on Sallah Day. He was called Alhaji. And when he went to Mecca on pilgrimage, he was called Alhaji Alhaji. That was why his official car was Alhaji Alhaji Dogon Daji, Sarkin Shanu Sokoto. My father’s real name was Muhammad Sani.

How did you become a journalist?
My career in journalism started in Nagarta College in 1969, with a school magazine called Nagarta newspaper. I was the Contributing Editor and I emerged one of the best writers in 1970.  After the West African Examination Council(WAEC) and mandatory one year wait before one gets admission into the University,  I was then recruited by Sokoto Native Authority as a teacher. I then gained admission into the School of Basic Studies. After that I was enrolled in the Faculty of Social Sciences of Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria. During the long vacation I joined the New Nigerian Newspapers in Kaduna as a Senior Reporter in 1974. Seeing the job was very attractive, and I had so many problems, as I lost my father and sponsor, with many brothers and sisters under my care, I decided to continue working with the NNN.  There, I rose through the rank to become an Associate Editor.

Why did you leave NNN to work in Sokoto?
I was News Editor when Alhaji Shehu Shagari became the President and Shehu Kangiwa became the governor of Sokoto. The late governor invited me to be the Secretary of the Health Management Board. Later,  when Kangiwa died and his Deputy Garba Nadama was sworn in as governor, he transferred me to the History Bureau and later I was transferred to Ministry of Information and then to Rima Radio, Sokoto as secretary. I went back to NNN during the regime of former President Ibrahim Babadmasi Babangida.  I was appointed Bureau Chief in Abuja. I was later transferred to Kaduna as Coordinating Editor of Kaduna and Lagos. I later resigned. We later established The Reporter newspaper, published by the late General Shehu Musa Yar’adua and I was made the Bureau Chief in Lagos.
I later left The Reporter because I could not work for an individual. He had his political ambition and I had my own principle. There was an incident of clash of interest between Sultan Dasuki, my brother, and General Shehu Musa Yar’adua and I was in the centre as an arbitrator. And Tukur Usman stood between me and the others.At the end, the story was killed and that was what made me to leave.

What was the story?
The story was over the building of the National Mosque in Abuja. Sultan was the President General of the Nigeria Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs in Nigeria (NSCIA) and Yar’adua was made the Chairman of the National Mosque Appeal Fund. The mosque belongs to NSCIA, Sultan felt some things were done without his notice and I was in the centre as an arbitrator. Yar’adua was creating the impression that he was the Chairman and so many intrigues were involved. That forced me to leave. And nobody was happy.

What was your father’s relationship with Dasuki?
My father was the most senior and Ibrahim Dasuki was the most junior in the family. Dasuki and his brother Sarkin Yamman Dogon Daji were under the care of my father after the death of their father (Dasuki’s father’s name was Halliru). Our father’s house had two distinct areas, one known as Shiyyar Dasuki and the other was known as Shiyyar Aliyu VT (Meaning: Visiting Teacher).

What was your relationship with Alhaji Abubakar Alhaji?
We are from the same father. My other seniors are Alhaji Alhaji, Aliyu Dasuki, Abdullahi Alhaji and Alhaji Badamasi Alhaji.

Why did your father work in Kano instead of Sokoto?
At that time the Emirs where under the Sultan and my father was turbaned as the Councillor by the Sultan as Sarkin Shanu. He was responsible for  peace between Fulani herdsmen and Hausa farmers. He went round the country and he was the one who made the cattle route and grazing reserves all over the country from Sokoto to Lagos, Maiduguri, Adamawa to Enugu and so on. He made boreholes, windmills, and wells.

What is the relationship between your father and Sardauna?
Sultan Abubakar and Sardauna and many came from Bello ruling house and my father, Dasuki and many came from Buhari ruling house. They are cousins and descendants of the Othman Bin Fodio. They were almost age mates. Sardauna used to drive to my father’s house in Unguwan Sarki in Kaduna, where meat is sold now.

When was the first time you met Sardauna?
Hajiya Hafsatu, the late wife of Sardauna who, during the 1966 coup shielded him from bullets and died along with him, was a senior sister of my mother. So I grew up knowing him. In Kaduna, I either slept in my house or I trekked to Sardauna’s house and slept there at my own will.

How did you get employed in the New Nigerian Newspapers?
It was through Malam Mamman Daura, when Adamu Ciroma was the Editor. It started as a vacation job. Mamman  Daura was the classmate of my elder brother, Alhaji Alhaji, and he knew my background. When I wanted to join, I met him, took and passed the interview alongside others like Muhammad Haruna, Yakubu Muhammad of Newswatch, Musa Shuaibu, Sully Abu.  Adamu Adamu came much later.  Abubakar Mani and I were together and our other colleague was Abidina Coomassie.

What happened between General Yakubu Gowon (when he was the head of state) and you at Kaduna airport?
I was the only journalist at the Kaduna airport when I suddenly saw a small aeroplane, an F28-model landed. I turned around and saw only Brigadier Abba Kyari approaching the plane and I saw General Gowon alighting.
I approached and greeted him and he said, “Look, I am on a private visit I am going home to Zaria to greet my mother.” I said let me ask you one question: “You said you are going to change your governors, when?”  Gowon said, “Very soon.” I said “Thank you”. That was the big story.

Some people said that story led to the coup by General Murtala Muhammad that toppled General Gowon from power. What is your view?
Yes, it is true as they said General Gowon made a promise of changing them but he did not fulfil it. And the weakest point of Gowon was his governors, because they were considered stronger than him. They were ‘super governors.’ But General Gowon was the best head of state for Nigeria.

Did you break any story while covering the airport?
Yes. When Nigeria was to be divided into 12 states, my friend, Abubakar Mani and I got the story from the airport after asking General Hassan Katsina. The headline was “Nigerian was going to be broken”.

Why did you drive a van to convey papers to Sokoto, while you were an Associate Editor?
When you were employed, you had to go round the departments to work to know the A to Z of printing a newspaper. You start with the newsroom, composing section, sub-editorial, editorial-board, transport section and so on. I was the night editor. After midnight, I was told that the driver that was to take the newspapers to Sokoto was sick. I called somebody to assist us about 1.00am to 2.00am, but to no avail. I drove the car myself to Sokoto after we had distributed the newspapers in Funtua, Gusau, Talatan Mafara and I came back and reported what happened. Immediately Adamu Ciroma sent for me and gave me ten pounds and an instant promotion for taking an immediate decision.Note that Malam Mamman Daura and Adamu Ciroma used to stay at the gate to demand whether reporters came back with news, or they would be ordered to go back and get stories.

How did you cope with civilian governments, coups, counter-coups, civil rule and even an interim government?
When we were under the Interim Common Services Agency (ICSA), we got everything we wanted and our editorial was the best in the world. Mamman Daura and Adamu Ciroma were good writers and their judgements were great. When General Gowon came and took over the NNN without any formal hand over, criticisms became so high and Abubakar Mani and I were arrested and kept in CID by Sani Daura. We were given dried bread and a cup of water. It was during the hot season; you either soak the bread inside the water before you eat it or you just drink the water and leave the bread.

What was your offence?
They alleged that Joseph Tarka gave us money. He was a friend and whenever he came to Kaduna we stayed together. Gowon was not happy with anything of that nature. Later, when Mamman Daura was arrested because he wrote an editorial, it led to a riot in Kaduna. They released him.

What is meant by “Kaduna Fever”?
My friend Abubakar Mani and I created “Kaduna Fever” while we were covering the airport to interview personalities. We knew the people and we interviewed them. I got close to Gowon and  Murtala. Murtala, as Head of State would come to Kaduna airport for an interview. General Murtala, Brigadier Ibrahim Bako and I used to meet in the house of Col A. B Umar when he was the Deputy Commandant of NDA. But Col AB Umar’s (from Wase) had grudges with him. He joined in the coup against Murtala because he was not made a Military Administrator. And he did not run as he said the coup leader General Bisalla had given him the order to kill Group Captain Usman Jibrin, but he said he, as a Muslim, could not kill a fellow Muslim. To me, he was the best Nigerian soldier if not because of that coup. He was killed by the firing squad.

How many times were you arrested?
I have lost count.

What happened between General Murtala, Brigadier Umaru Alhaji Muhammad and you?
It was during the reign of General Murtala Muhammad, when Brigadier Umaru Alhaji Muhammad, who later died in a plane crash, was the military Governor of the North Western State. He conducted a press conference that only those who paid their tax would be able to contest the election and vote. When the other journalists left, I went and asked the governor if he meant women could not vote as they didn’t pay tax because they are mostly housewives?  His commissioner, who was the Ciroman Sokoto, said ‘yes, women would not vote’. The following day, every body’s story was the same, but mine was different as it was in bold headlines that “Women cannot vote in Sokoto”. Immediately General Murtala saw it and he called Governor Muhammad. The governor called me and in front of his ADC Ajama and queried me, asking when he said so. I told him his commissioner said it on his behalf. He said, ‘General Murtala said women must vote in Sokoto, and I’m going to start the campaign with you in Yabo and you must follow me.’ That was how I started the emancipation of women. When we reached Yabo, he quoted the Qur’an and explained that whenever a male was mentioned, a woman followed. So women should vote.

What happened at Rima Radio, Sokoto over the announcement of Maccido instead of Dasuki as the Sultan, which led to your arrest?
Actually, what happened was this: after the death of Sultan Abubakar, I was the Secretary of Rima Radio, Sokoto. I was in the Sultan’s Palace and we heard people shouting as Obasanjo, Adamu Augie came in a bus and paid homage to Sarkin Kudu Maccido; even Ahmed Dasuki paid homage. So I decided to escort Alhaji Abubakar Alhaji to the airport. I passed through the office and met the GM Sanda Adamu Tsafe, who said a reporter claimed that Maccido had been turbaned. I said I had not seen any paper. And there were processes before that. The reason behind the frenzy was Rima Radio broke the news of the death of Sultan Abubakar. So they wanted to get the same credit. Tsafe said I was pressing him to delay the story because my ruling house had lost to another ruling house. Tsafe rushed to the studio himself  announced the appointment of Maccido. When I came back from the airport they were all arrested. Tsafe implicated me that I told him, I was arrested too. He later told me at the police headquarters that he implicated me because the case will be softened due to my family background as a member of the royal family. According to him, if he did not include me, he would be in real trouble. While we were in the cell, we heard that Ibrahim Dasuki was installed as the new Sultan. I told Tsafe that my ruling house had been chosen, that I was happy even if the government would take me us to Giginya stadium and kill us by firing squad. Later, the Assistant Commissioner of Police Hashimu called me, and said I had been exonerated. He said they did police work and discovered that they don’t have a case against me as they bugged the room and overheard our conversation with Sanda Tsafe. The commissioner of Police was Mahe Bashir Wali. I took the government to court through my lawyer Barrister Bamaiyi. But the government’s edict exonerated me.  Alhaji Alhaji told me to forget and forgive my grievances as our family was ruling. I withdrew the case. I was paid all my entitlements.

Do you have a royal title?
No, but I am engaged as I’m farming and now an author.

What of the title of your father, Sarkin Shanu?
Ruling houses have their own crises internally. Even as Sultan Maccido was married to one of my younger sisters, he demeaned our ruling house and gave the title to my junior brother who has not come of age. Even the former title of Dasuki, which was Barade before he became the Sultan, was given to another ruling house.The only title in our family now is that of Sardauna, which Dasuki elevated and gave to  Sarkin Shanu Alhaji Alhaji. He then left the title of Sarkin vacant. But Maccido seized it.

Are you pensionable?
Yes, in Sokoto and not in NNN. I believe that northern governors are responsible for the death of the New Nigerian. They deliberately killed the NNN.

Why?
They did if for their own interest; all of them do not want to give out money to salvage the place. They would rather give out contracts in order to get kick-backs. NNN is the legacy of Sardauna. That is enough reason for them to revive the place and make it viable. I don’t blame them, they didn’t know Sardauna. They are beneficiaries of Sardauna’s uniform, inks, books.

Who built Nagwamatse House?
The first one, where the bank is, was built by Mamman Daura. He took a loan of N1 million to build the house and the printing press. I was then state Editor and instead of leaving revenue to the marketing we were all co-opted as marketers. I convinced the then Military Governor of Sokoto Usman Faruq to give us a printing job of exercise books, which he did. And one Alhaji Yuguda, the father of this Minister Yuguda, was married to the sister of my first wife. He patronized our work. Within a short time we paid everything. Then Turi started the ambitious project of building Nagwamatse House. From production we could have finished the work. We started having problems between Turi and President Shagari. Shagari  considered me to be his junior brother because my father was his teacher. Turi wrote an editorial about Shagari questioning his literacy.

Some people refer to you, once as a journalist always a journalist?
In my retirement, I was in my farm near the river, when a fisherman placed a hook in his lips and the fish tried to break free, it muzzled itself out and the hook went into the man’s mouth and he died instantly. I wrote the story and sent to Mahmud Jega who was the Editor of NNN then; and he wrote the story and gave me the by-line.

Is any of your children a journalist?
No. My first son read Accounting. My second daughter read Accounting, she is in the CBN and the third one is in the Law School and another daughter is studying Accounting in Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria. None of them wants to be a journalist. The situation in the country is pitiful. We should have responsible leaders. How many people are in the Boko Haram? Nigerian Army are the best trained. They received encomiums. Why should it be reduced to this level? We’re facing this mess because the top echelon of the army has compromised the professional training and joined the politicians. They are now after their pockets. Can you be the president and allow what Jonathan is doing now? What are the service chiefs doing in Abuja? Their job is to protect to country. During the civil war I know the amount of respect we accord the army. If you give military bribe then they will tell you to chew the money. The army now has been reduced to mounting road blocks and collecting bribes on the street, even ordinary bread. It is wrong as one third of the country is in crisis.