Muhammadu Inuwa Morrow: Passage of a debonair gentleman
In the nearly 100 years of Barewa College, the school has distinguished itself by the number of prominent old boys who have served Nigeria in various positions. Several of the senior northern leaders at independence were drawn from the college. One of such leaders was Alhaji Muhammadu Inuwa Morrow (MFR) who recently passed on at […]
In the nearly 100 years of Barewa College, the school has distinguished itself by the number of prominent old boys who have served Nigeria in various positions. Several of the senior northern leaders at independence were drawn from the college. One of such leaders was Alhaji Muhammadu Inuwa Morrow (MFR) who recently passed on at the ripe age of 91 years.
I came to know Alhaji Inuwa Morrow closely when I was elected into the executive committee of the Barewa Old Boys Association (BOBA) as its National Publicity Secretary, under the late Justice Muhammadu Bello who was then its President. But before then, I had the rare privilege of working with him on several BOBA Committees under the leadership of late General Hassan Usman Katsina. Alhaji Inuwa Morrow had distinguished himself as one of the longest serving member of the BOBA Executive and at one-time was its Vice President.
Alhaji Muhammadu Inuwa Morrow whose Barewa College school number was B431 was born at Kofar Taramniya in Madunka quarters of Sokoto in 1925. At the age of five he was taken to Lagos by his late father who was a staff of the old Post and Telegraph (P&T). He started his early school years in Lagos before coming to Kaduna.
In 1939 as a very young pupil at the Kaduna government school, the only government primary school then in Kaduna, a senior expatriate education officer, Mr. E. J. H. Bowler came to the school and told him and his elder brother, Isa that he was on a mission to recruit them into the Sokoto Middle School. He there and then told them to report to the then department of education, located where the present NIDB building is. On arrival at the department of education, they met another expatriate Director of Education, Mr. Bieneman who issued them warrants to travel by rail from Kaduna to Gusau. They were actually given two warrants one for the train and the other for the old Railway Motors. The train actually terminated at Gusau. Beyond that, they couldn’t travel any further by rail and they had to complete the rest of the journey to Sokoto by road.
At Sokoto Middle School
Although they both enrolled at the Middle School the same year, his elder brother was placed in Form II while he was put in Form I. The Headmaster at the school then was a former BOBA student and an uncle to late Sultan Ibrahim Dasuki, Alhaji Dogondaji; they were in the Middle School from 1939-41.
By this time also, the students were being moved from Katsina to Kaduna, a period which coincided with the Second World War. Because of the war, the school which housed the Katsina arrivals had to be occupied by the Royal Air Force (RAF). Mr. E.L. Mort, Principal, and director of education worked out an arrangement with the railways to accommodate the students from Katsina at Makera quarters, Kaduna South. There was more than enough room for everyone then and space was not the problem.
Later, suitable halls were built for them. He remembers he was in Lugard Hall at first until in his final years when he was put in Montgomery House. In subsequent years, the school population increased twofold. In order to solve the acute accommodation problem, Alhaji Morrow says round huts were built, typical of Northern architecture. There were four houses then and these were Lugard, Clifford, Dan Hausa and Malam Smith. He said he couldn’t remember which house Ali Akilu his classmate was in.
When in 1941 himself, late Ali Akilu and Mamman Belkore sat the common entrance examination at the Sokoto Middle school, then only the brightest two were selected from the provinces even if there were more than two who passed there was only space for two. Both himself and Ali Akilu were successfully chosen and Mamman Belkore could not make it that year (not that he did not pass) only the colonial educational policy worked against him and so he stayed back at the Middle School. As Alhaji Inuwa Morrow recollects, the following year however, Mamman Belkore joined them in Kaduna College in Form V. They actually did form V and VI together. He never lost any year.
Classroom instructions
Mr. Mort taught English from the junior classes to the senior classes. There was also Mr. Rankin who was next to Mr Mort and he also taught English. Mr. Rankin had published a textbook by then which contained a detail of English instructions. Mr. Onimole whom they popularly called “Oga” taught maths together with Mr. Okorodudu while Malam Bello Kagara gave them Arabic and Religious instructions. He recalls that Malam Bello Kagara acted more like a father to them all. He tended to their welfare and they could not go directly to the principal for their needs, they had to see Malam Kagara first.
Apart from these subjects, they were taught Physics by Mr. Arthur and Biology by Mr. Babatunde Cole. They had to attend the Science Laboratory for their practical at the present timber market located close to the railway station.
Malam Morrow remembers that when they first came to the school there was no dining hall and they had to carry their food to the houses, including those of their seniors. It was much later that a dining hall was built and they stopped carrying food to the hostels, at this time also labourers were employed to serve in the kitchen and dining rooms.
Discipline in the school – ‘Court of equity’
By the time they got to Form V and VI they had formed the “Court of equity.” It was here recalcitrant and stubborn students were brought for “trial” and punishment accordingly. The list of erring students was usually brought in by the supervising teacher or the House Captain. During their time, Abu Ingawa was the Head boy.
His school mates included the following people; late Ambassador Sule Kolo, Ambassador Baba Gana, Professor Umar Shehu, Usman Sarki, (Etsu Nupe) Waziri Ibrahim, Suleiman Gurin, Justice Buba Ardo, Justice Saidu Kawu, while Bukar Shuaib and late Tata Askira were his classmates.
Maitama Sule, former Minister in the first and second Republic was always on his fatigue list. He says hardly a week passes without him being punished. He used to call him names as he ensured that when he was sent for fatigue, he completed his work. Ironically, it was Maitama Sule the erring student who succeeded him as Prefect of Montgomery House when he left. He recalls that Maitama Sule was a great dramatist who acted in Shakespearian plays such as Julius Caesar which was one of their favourite, Macbeth and others. They also took part in Hausa drama as well. The dramatic and photographic societies which was his hobby all provided leisure and recreational facilities.
Late, Alhaji Inuwa Morrow’s public service career started with the old Post and Telegraph (P&T). He worked variously at Kano, Lagos, and Zaria. He served the Nigerian Mining Corporation Jos where he spent 15 years as a Consultant. He decided to take an early retirement from public service at the age of 45 and lived a quiet retirement life for another 46 years spending his time in between attending board meetings and civic activities such as BOBA meetings and his farm which he tended to regularly.
In recognition of his outstanding contribution to the Nigerian Mining industry, he was awarded Fellow of the Nigerian Mining and Geosciences Society having been previously decorated with a national honour of Member of the Federal Republic (MFR).
He died on November 13, 2016. May Allah pardon his soul and grant him Aljannah Firdausi. Indeed as we pay tribute to this debonair gentleman, we also remember several others who served with utmost dedication. They include General Hassan Usman Katsina, Justice Muhammadu Bello, Malam Liman Ciroma, Chief Sunday Awoniyi, Major General Amadi Rimi, Alhaji M.M Kyari, Alhaji Hamidu Ladan Zuru, Alhaji Muhammadu S Lemu, Alhaji Umaru Dikko, Professor B.D. Musa and Alhaji Umaru Balarabe Kubau all of blessed memory.
Jimada was a former Editor with the New Nigerian Newspapers