Meet Kano’s self-styled Mr. Nigeria

Ibrahim Sayyadi Madaki Guliya, better known as Dan Najeriya, is well-known in Kano and neighbouring states for his dress code. Dan Najeriya, who said he loves Nigeria beyond any one’s imagination, is never seen in any outfit other than the green and white colours of the Nigerian national flag. He spoke to Daily Trust recently. […]

Ibrahim Sayyadi Madaki Guliya, better known as Dan Najeriya, is well-known in Kano and neighbouring states for his dress code. Dan Najeriya, who said he loves Nigeria beyond any one’s imagination, is never seen in any outfit other than the green and white colours of the Nigerian national flag. He spoke to Daily Trust recently.

Dan Najeriya is always seen dressed in green and white colours, which represent the Nigerian national flag.

Apart from his outfits, he painted his bike, house and other important possessions with the Nigerian national flag colour, all for the love of the country.

Speaking to Daily Trust, Dan Najeriya said he loves Nigeria beyond any one’s imagination and can do all within his powers for its development, adding that the most annoying thing to him is seeing or hearing anyone talking bad about the country.

Taking Daily Trust through the journey of how he became known as Dan Najeriya, he said, “I started this when I was much younger. I followed my parents’ footsteps because my father was a headmaster in our village and I realised that he loved our country from what he used to tell us. He always told us to consider Nigeria as the only place we have in the world.”

“Now that I’m about 34 years old, I can’t give up on this because I believe it is not wrong to love your motherland. If you watch Indian or American movies, you will see how they show immense love for their countries. They (Indians and Americans) promote their norms and values, which is the same thing we need to do in Nigeria,” he added.

He said he is not alone on the journey, as his wife and children have agreed to identify with him on this uncommon passion for the country, saying, “My wife and children dress the same way as I do. My house is also painted green and white, and sometimes we incorporate the colours in our meal.”

He said in the past, he encountered a lot of challenges because of his love and passion for the country.

Many criticized him for loving Nigeria so much despite the bad governance and poor leadership, he said.

“Many people felt I’m not a serious person and called me mad. Some people had, instead of saying Dan Najeriya, called me Dan Mahaukaciya (mad person).

“But thank God that we are beginning to see changes and I’m becoming popular and gaining much love from people. I’m happy that Nigerians have started realizing that we truly have no other place apart from our country.”

Dan Najeriya said he is very happy that God destined him to be from Nigeria and will forever be grateful for that.

“We have recorded so many successes in this journey and I thank Almighty Allah for that. I love Nigeria and want to see its development more than any other thing. This is because God destined us to be here and we have no other country like Nigeria. As you can see, we are the best in Africa, this is also a success.

“The fact that our youths have began to show love for the country is a great success. I’m sure you saw it during the 60th independence anniversary. This is very important and signifies that the future will be brighter,” Dan Najeriya said.

He said he has also gained popularity courtesy of his love for Nigeria.

“As you can see, I’m a mechanic without enough western education; I only had secondary school education. I started tertiary education but couldn’t proceed because of so many reasons. But despite this, I’ve become very popular,” he said.