Shinkafi: Princely beginning, princely ending

Umaru Maikaura Makwashe Ali Shinkafi was born in Kaura Namoda in present day Zamfara State on January 19, 1937 to a Princess of the town, the late Hajiya A’isha, great granddaughter of Umarun Mamuda from the Alibawa ruling clan and founders of Kaura Namoda town; and the late Alhaji Ali Bisije, a rich commodity merchant […]

Umaru Maikaura Makwashe Ali Shinkafi was born in Kaura Namoda in present day Zamfara State on January 19, 1937 to a Princess of the town, the late Hajiya A’isha, great granddaughter of Umarun Mamuda from the Alibawa ruling clan and founders of Kaura Namoda town; and the late Alhaji Ali Bisije, a rich commodity merchant from Gasma village in Bade Kingdom of present day Yobe State. His educational and public service life are readily available in the public domain so this tribute is not intended to delve into what has become public knowledge about the life of the late Marafan Sokoto, including his service with the Nigerian Police, the Federal Executive Council and the National Security Organization, where he had his last public service assignment.
Shinkafi’s early life was that of any pampered Northern Prince you may think of but in his case, it was with a mix of strict discipline because his father, being an educated man himself from Borno area of the country, appreciated the importance of education for his children and therefore resisted the tendency to allow his in-laws from the royal family in Kaura Namoda to over-pamper his son. He gave him all that a Prince might require commensurate with the time, but also strictly ensured his son went to school in spite of the resentment for western education at that time. Marafa was very proud of his maternal roots and so passionate about it that at one time, he was personally engaged with some informed historians in getting the history of Kaura Namoda properly extracted from the history of the Sokoto Caliphate and documented to have a comprehensive book published in order to clearly show the family tree of his ancestors, the founders of the town and direct lieutenants of the legendary Sheikh Othman Danfodio.
Alhaji Umaru Shinkafi’s private life revolved around his family. He loved his children and all his siblings dearly. He invested so much in their educational pursuit, where he tried to give them the best he could. After the Civil War and he was settled in Lagos, the first thing he started to think of was his younger brothers who were coming up. He felt there was nothing he could do for them more than to follow what he learnt from his late father, to support their educational pursuit and ensure they all achieved quality education.
Very early one morning in February 1972, a period our teachers had started couching our class on the methods and approach to the West African School Certificate Examination, our Principal, the late Shehu Abdullahi Bayero who later became Speaker of the Sokoto State House of Assembly in the Second Republic, walked into our hostel accompanied by another person unknown to us. He ordered our friend and classmate, the late Jafaru Ali Shinkafi to pack his belongings and follow a waiting car outside the hostel. We were all afraid there was something wrong with JAFF, as he was popularly called.
Not long after Jafaru’s transfer, the death of their father, Alhaji Ali Bisije was announced. Students of Government Secondary School, Shinkafi in a stream of human thread moved in solemn mood to their family house to pay condolences. It was at the family house that late Alhaji Ajiya, a respected old man, community leader and close associate of the deceased, while addressing us, disclosed in Hausa that “Mallam Makwashe ya chanza ma Dandoki makaranta, ya kaishi Zaria an bar maku Mudi.” That is, Mallam Makwashe (Umaru Shinkafi’s pet-name) had earlier arranged a change of school for Dandoki (Jafaru’s nickname) and left Mudi (short name for Mahmud) with you. We were much later to know through a letter Jaff wrote to all of us but addressed to me, that he was at the Government Secondary School Zaria, presently known as Alhudahuda College. After we left GSS Shinkafi, we also learnt that Mahmud, who was our junior in school and who later became the Governor of Zamfara State, was treated in the same manner like Jafaru.
Alhaji Umaru Shinkafi was one of the most charismatic aristocrats in Northern Nigeria. He was as refined and tasteful in appearance as he was in behavior and style. He had lived a life of philanthropy in which he touched the life of common people. He was considered by most people as an icon that embodied compassion. For every document that emanated from his desk, the number of times it went through editing would be best imagined by those close by, all in a bid to arrive at near perfection when presenting his own opinion on most public or private matters. He was also a shrewd businessman from whom I personally benefitted immensely. He never wasted time taking risks in any business for which ordinarily, some other persons might need more time in weighing their chances before making up their minds.
When his father died, it was well known that, should what he bequeathed to all the children put together be shared, it might not be enough to even take care of the education of most of the children as majority were still of school age. Marafa therefore decided to secure a family consensus to the effect that ‘ALI BISIJE and SONS’, the father’s only company, be used as the vehicle in which the inheritance could be invested and from which the upbringing of the younger ones and their education could be funded. He decided to expand the scope and horizon of the company’s engagements beyond what their father did. When the business started to gain grounds, he further incorporated other companies, BANARLY NIGERIA LIMITED and later BANU ALI HOLDINGS. Meaning of both is the children of Ali. The latter was later renamed BA HOLDINGS. There was also Nota-Bene Associates and later PREMIER FOODS, used for a feed mill in Zamfara.
Sometime in 1989, when we were into importation of fish and trawling in Lagos, he invited me to his office on Ribadu Road, Ikoyi. He was with Ashiru, his younger brother, who’s next in hierarchy after the late Yusuf Mainasara. He informed us that Muktari [one of their younger brothers) had completed his studies including the NYSC. For that reason he wanted to attach Muktar to my office so we could put him through to understand the process of importation and sale of frozen fish. He was to use PREMIER FOOODS for that purpose. I asked him about Mahmud, who is Muktar’s senior, and he confirmed to us that arrangements were concluded to have him resign from IMB Merchant Bank and similarly be attached to some foreigners in Kano, dealing in textiles. That was Marafa for you, wonderful man. You can imagine his efforts for the progress of his extended family particularly in business which was their father’s known occupation. He lived for his family; he lived for others, particularly the community in which lived. While my own assumptions on this great man could be corrected, I stand by my personal experiences and discussions with him as quoted in this tribute.
Alhaji Umaru Shinkafi, Marafan Sokoto died 40 days ago, precisely on the 6th of July 2016 at the age of 79 years in a London hospital. He was laid to rest on the 8th of July 2016 at the Hubbare (graveyard), in which lies the great Sheikh Othman Bin Fodio’s tomb. To be buried here, where the great Islamic Caliph, philosopher and commander of the only Islamic Jihad in our history is rested, also where his grandchildren and great grandchildren, Princes and Princesses were buried; the late Alhaji Umaru Shinkafi’s end was indeed eminently Princely.
May Allah accept Sheikh Othman Bin Fodio, his children, grand and great grandchildren along with Alhaji Umaru Shinkafi into Aljannatul Firdaus. Amin.

Senator Lawal Shu’aibu is APC’s Deputy National Chairman in charge of North.