Remembering Baba Tukur Makama

Baraka Tukur Idris It is almost like yesterday but it is already one year since the tables turned for us in the vast Baba Makama’s household.  On a quiet and unsuspecting Sunday morning of October 9, 2012, death took away our cherished treasure, our father and the father of all, without the privileged opportunity of […]

Baraka Tukur Idris

It is almost like yesterday but it is already one year since the tables turned for us in the vast Baba Makama’s household.  On a quiet and unsuspecting Sunday morning of October 9, 2012, death took away our cherished treasure, our father and the father of all, without the privileged opportunity of kissing his forehead and bidding him deserved farewell. Baba’s death was sudden and unannounced. No death is announced, but some indicators such as ill-health may provide visible clues of impending exit. Before then, at almost seventy nine years Baba was full of life, physically and mentally alert, and was able to partake in his regular chores such as meeting and attending to his regular visitors and taking long walk to his farms. In this physical and mental state of mind, we thought innocently that the sun will not set any time soon for this undeniably noble but humble, simple, accessible and straightforward man. How mistaken we were to feign ignorance of the qur’anic injunction which admonishes that every human being shall taste of death and that death will seize us anytime, whether sick or sound, prepared or unprepared, without notice. Never before did I feel so devastated in my life; never before did I feel so vulnerable and so bare! I thought I had him and could explore the world, covered in his iron wall security and prayers. For all of us his children, words deserted us and tears was slow in coming. The news was shocking and jolting, considering the painful realization that death took away the pillar holding the family’s architecture together. And so it was that we received Baba Makama’s death that fateful Sunday morning through a motor accident at Turare, Dutsinma, on his way to Katsina.

Honourable Muhammadu Tukur Idris Nadabo was born in 1932 in Bakori town in present day Bakori local government of Katsina state. He attended Elementary primary school in Bakori, 1939-1946; Katsina Middle School, 1947-1952; and obtained Advanced Clerical Certificate from the College of Administration, Kongo, Zaria. He served as Wakilin Makaman Katsina, and then District head of Musawa, Bindawa, Mani and Bakori at different occasions. He also served as the Makaman Katsina .For most part of his life, Baba associated more with the down-trodden in the society and this endeared him to the people of his community. His first active stint in politics was in 1979 when he contested and won the state assembly seat under NPN in the then Kaduna state. In 1999, he contested and overwhelmingly won the Bakori/Danja Federal constituency seat in the Federal House of Representatives under the PDP flag until 2003. Through popular pressure from his constituency, he made effort to contest under PDP for the second time but was denied nomination by the powers that be at the state level because of his growing popularity among the people. His welfarist and philanthropic activities endeared him to the people and this made party stalwarts at the state level feel uncomfortable. He promptly switched over to the ANPP and was also overwhelmingly elected by the people to represent the Bakori/Danja Federal constituency at the Federal House of Representatives until 2007. While at the House, Baba was always associated with motions and bills that had great impact on the lives of the people of his constituency in particular, and Nigeria in general. He was awarded first with the OON and later OFR by the Federal government. He also received numerous awards of recognition, including a honourary doctorate degree from the University of Nigeria, Nsukka. He retired from active politics in 2007 but became a party elder in Katsina state and an inspirational rallying point for upcoming politicians. As the activities for the seventh republic peaked, he alongside other ANPP stalwarts in the state moved to CPC, the party of their leader, Muhammadu Buhari. CPC however got entangled into a complex power game and this watered down its influence and weakened its winning power in the state. Baba Makama, together with other party elders in the state were caught in the middle trying to broker an acceptable compromise between the two warring camps. This crisis and the attempt to broker peace dissipated his energy. The party lost the state but was more than compensated especially at the Federal legislative positions, winning most of the Federal House and Senate seats, and this include one of his son, Amiru Tukur Idris, who won the highly contested Bakori/Danja Federal constituency. Still yet, after the dust of the election had settled, Baba was shuttling between Abuja and Katsina, the state capital to ensure greater and amicable resolution of the crises which tore the party apart. It was in one of this assignment that he met with an accident at Turare, Dutsinma, on his way to Katsina. He could not survive it; he died together with his driver of several years on that fateful Sunday October 9, 2011. It was tragic because a great void was created in the family that can never be filled.

The family has moved on strongly but not without the emotional vacuum that his absence had created. Baba was married to four wives and several children who are into different human endeavours. Amongst his children were Labaran Tukur Idris, Garba Tukur Idris, Dikko Tukur Idris, Hafsatu Tukur Idris, AmiruTukur Idris, currently serving as member Federal House of Representatives, and myself, the humble writer of this tribute. May Allah grant him grace and rahma in al-jannah, amin.

Baraka wrote this piece from No 1. Idris Road, Bakori, Katsina State.