Sani Dahiru Buba, an inspiration

It was my friend Abubakar Abubakar Umar who broke the news on Facebook: “With an uncommon shock, I just received the sad news of the death of a friend, a brother and a colleague, Sani Dahiru Buba, after a brief illness, last night.  He was a lecturer in Federal Polytechnic Mubi, Adamawa State and a […]

It was my friend Abubakar Abubakar Umar who broke the news on Facebook: “With an uncommon shock, I just received the sad news of the death of a friend, a brother and a colleague, Sani Dahiru Buba, after a brief illness, last night.  He was a lecturer in Federal Polytechnic Mubi, Adamawa State and a PhD Candidate of Electrical and Electronics Engineering, Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM).By what we know of him, [he was] a dedicated Muslim, God-fearing and exceptionally nice and friendly,” Abubakar said.
The illness that took Sani’s life was indeed a brief one, because another friend, Mukhtar Maigamo, said he saw his tweets the day before his passing.
I met Dahiru only once – maybe twice.  But that was enough to give me an impression of a dependable compatriot.
I recall when I visited his universityin 2012/2013, he volunteered to be my guide and took me everywhere, even though some years before, I was also a student there.
After I shared the news on Facebook and requested people to pray for him, a number of friends talked to me on the phone saying how great a person Sani Dahiru was.  Dr. Aminu Wushishi called to tell me that Sani Dahiru was the one who picked him up from the airport on his first arrival in Malaysia. He also helped with his first accommodation, for free.Another friend, Dr.Ibrahim Abdulaziz, called to say that we “are losing the good ones.”
Dr. Mohammed Paiko, who did a postdoc in Putra, made a similar comment on my post on Facebook: “Sani Dahiru was always handy to volunteer for all who needed assistance while I was in UPM.”
Bako Sunday Samuel wrote:“Knew him from a distance while I was still a student at UPM. He was a president of NaijaComm [Naija Community] I suppose. A very accommodating fellow. Heard a lot of good things about him. He strove to ensure all new students settle in with ease in terms of accomodation. My condolence to his family and loved ones.”
Modees Usman said: “He has been like that right from his secondary school days. Very caring and always smiling. We call him big bros. He is always ready to help, a confidant, a good neighbor and an example of a true Muslim. We come from same place.
Also, Ibrahim Muye Muhammad, another Ph.D. scholar in the same university said this of him: “He was the nicest Nigerian in UPM, someone who makes your problem his.”
Yes, I’m a witness that Sani Dahiru made your problem his.
I recall one such example when Mary (one of the candidates I was facilitating their admission) didn’t receive acknowledgement of her application. So I sent a mail to Mr. Consider-it-done.
“Salam Dr. Buba. Ramadan Mubarak. One of my candidates applying to UPM has not received acknowledgement of the receipt of her hard copies, while others have, even though they sent the documents in the same envelope. We’ve called and emailed, all to no avail.Please could you personally help me go to GSO [the graduate school] to find out what’s amiss? Jazakallahu khairan.”
He replied immediately:
“Wa alaikum salam Dr Dooba, Ramadan Mubarak to you too. How are you faring these days? In sha Allah, I will check tomorrow and get back to you. Regards.”
His response after checking:
“Salam Dr. Dooba. Ramadan Mubarak, I do hope you are very well and doing fine. I was at SGS [School of Graduate Studies] to check the status of your candidate; it is in process. She may wish to check her status again after 2 or 3 weeks for possible update; and they have confirmed receipt of her documents. Regards”
Muslims believe that even if a handful of people say good things about an individual after his death, that person is likely to receive God’s mercy. Alhamdulillah, Sani Dahiru received more than a handful. We hope that we willalso be remembered in this beautiful manner. Even on my page on Facebook alone, at the last count, about 400 people had prayed for him – some mentioning how great he was.
But most importantly, I’m grateful for the supplication said for me by Sani Dahiru some years ago. After I wrote and shared an article (How to Write a Summary in Five Minutes) with the Nigerian academic community, he wrote:“Ya Allah, bless and grant my brother Dooba all his wishes. I remain grateful for your academic generosity. JazakAllahu khairan.”
But here’s the tearjerker. When one of his friends lost someone, he wrote:
“From Allah we came and to Him is our return. On behalf of the Nigerian Community in UPM, I wish to convey our condolences and deepest sympathy to the Director of Sports and the family at large on the death of his Mother. May Allah forgive her and grant her Mercy. May He also grant the Sports Director the fortitude to bear the loss. Gen. Sec. NaijaComm.”
Now, he’s no longer here to feel any sympathy for the bereaved. It is our turn to write this about him, as he used to write of others. I’m doing this with the knowledge that, one day, someone will write the same of me. I only hope it would be as positive as that of Sani Dahiru Buba.
If a smile is charity, like Prophet Muhammad said, then Sani was in a state of charitable deed throughout his life, because he had a smile permanently stamped on his face.
May Allah overlook his shortcomings, pardon his sins and admit him into the choicest of paradise.