My dad loves cracking jokes in Fulfulde – Aisha Sali

Weekly Trust: How would you describe your father away from the public eye?Aisha Sali: Interestingly, he is quite the same person in the public eye as he is at home. He is generally described as a just leader and a father figure and that’s just him. While in service he had an open door policy […]

Weekly Trust: How would you describe your father away from the public eye?
Aisha Sali: Interestingly, he is quite the same person in the public eye as he is at home. He is generally described as a just leader and a father figure and that’s just him. While in service he had an open door policy and it is the same here at home. He is always available for advice and guidance and he jokes a lot about stuff in different languages, especially Fulfulde. He spends quality time with my mum and I and he never lets work get in the way of family time.  We eat at least two meals of the day together and watch soccer together and it has been like that for a long time. He is not the type to stay away from family for long.  
WT: What are his favourite pastimes?
Sali: He likes to spend time on his farm with his friends and workers. He also spends much time taking part in the activities of various associations to which he belongs. He is involved in activities of the Adamawa Community Association (ACA), a non-partisan, non-profit making association created by indigenes of Adamawa State resident in the FCT and those of the Mubi Emirate Council, to foster unity, development and support the government where necessary, in moving the state forward.
WT: What is it about childhood with him you wish didn’t end?
Sali: I really miss the long 12-hour road trips from Abuja to Mubi. They were always enjoyable because my dad would tell me stories of past events that occurred before I was born. From famous landmarks and farms to prisons and crime scenes scattered along the way. However, with the security situation in the country now, we only take short road trips because it’s almost impossible to travel from Abuja to Mubi in a day. I find short road trips boring so I miss the fun that came with those long (yet tiring) ones.
WT: What were common lines he regularly used?
Sali: For religious matters he always quotes Surah Insan verse 9: “We feed you for the sake of Allah only. We wish for neither reward nor thanks from you. We fear from our Lord a day of frowning and of fate.” He always quotes this verse to remind us to be kind to people without expecting anything in return. Regarding public service, he always tells us to think of adding value to the organisation before thinking of personal gain. In general, he loves to make fun in Fulfulde. If you approach him with an issue that he believes you are exaggerating, his response is always: ‘kine ma fewi,’ literally meaning: ‘your nose is cold.’ But the message there is that ‘you just feel like whining, there is no issue here.’
WT: What is a habit he has that many don’t know about?
Sali: He is a shy person who tries as much as possible to avoid confrontational situations and drama. For instance, if someone is to be scolded in the house, he would avoid witnessing it by all means. His usual gesture is to pick up his cup of tea and change location.
WT: What about him did you inherit?
Sali: We are both prolific writers and we are very loyal to family and friends.
WT: Growing up, when you were naughty, what reaction of his did you dread the most?
Sali: I recall when I was learning to drive, he asked how the lessons were going and I told him I was already a professional, jokingly. He then asked me to take us out for a short drive and unfortunately, it didn’t go very well. I managed to take us back home safe and he kept saying “Allah yiidu himbe,” which means “God save us” for the rest of the day and it was awful because I really wasn’t that bad, he was just overreacting.
WT: What did he enjoy the most about his job?
Sali: His penchant for writing dovetailed neatly with his job. So, it was easy for him to maximise his potential of writing. You know from writing policies … to those committees. He also enjoyed taking up challenging assignments. He did not shy away from responsibility. There seemed to be a match between his personality and his job.
WT: How has being his child impacted on/influenced you?
Sali: Alhamdulillah, it has brought much good to me as well as a few challenges. On the positive side, I would say Alhamdulillah it is really nice to have people treat you well because of past encounters he’s had with them; sometimes it is even people he had lost contact with. This always serves as a reminder that it is good to be good. On the negative side however, I would say that his easy going nature has a down side to it, especially because he is a people’s person. There were instances when people would approach me or my mum regarding issues they wanted to discuss with him and if I or any family member gave them negative feedback, even if it were the truth, they sort of sidelined me especially and went ahead to meet him. Basically implying that ‘you just don’t want to help, let me go and meet him myself.’ When in the end they got the same feedback from him, they would sort of stay away from us in order to avoid an ‘I told you so’ scenario. Such situations get awkward but then, that’s life.