The MD Yusufu I knew

Whenever Nigeria’s democratic and political history in the post-Civil War era is written, his name will always standout; not only for his role in the midwifing of the Second Republic but also for daringly standing out against the military dictatorship of General Sani Abacha, which paved the way for enthronement of the present democratic order. […]

Whenever Nigeria’s democratic and political history in the post-Civil War era is written, his name will always standout; not only for his role in the midwifing of the Second Republic but also for daringly standing out against the military dictatorship of General Sani Abacha, which paved the way for enthronement of the present democratic order. His act of courage together with an effective and penetrating campaign, despite the numerous odds against him, endeared him to a lot of people. These include me, then participating in the compulsory one year National Youth Service Corps Scheme in Tsanyawa Local Government Area of Kano State. It also triggered a strong desire to meet him.
Before venturing into politics during the Abacha era, MD Yusufu had earned a reputation as one of Nigeria’s finest Inspector-Generals of Police and pan-Africanist. Kole Omotoso in his seminal work “Just Before Dawn” described him as an “unusual” Inspector-General of Police: “urbane, cultivated, relaxed no matter the company he was, and intriguingly committed to radical movements against colonial powers”.
Born on November 10, 1931 in Katsina, his grandfather, Muhammadu Dikko who he was named after was the Emir of Katsina at the time of his birth. Muhammadu Dikko became Emir of Katsina in 1906 after the British deposed Emir Yero. Yero was the grandchild of Malam Umaru Dallaje, the first Fulani Emir of Katsina who established the Dallazawa Dynasty. The Dikko Dynasty has maintained the emirship of Katsina since then.
At the time of our first meeting in his Kaduna residence in 2002 with a request to write his biography, I was barely 27, unknown and unsung. In spite of this, he found it convenient to authorise me to write the biography, in the process offering me unprecedented and unfettered access to his life. That action of his helped to build my self-belief as a writer, proving what Jack Welch, Chairman and CEO of General Electric once said “Giving people self-confidence is by far the most important thing that I can do, because then they will act”.
Over the years, our relationship grew quintessentially into a father-son relationship. Any time I visit or talk to him on phone, I leave with the feeling he has given so much – where have you been all this while (even if it’s some couple of weeks from our last meeting)? How is your writing? Are you working on anything new? How can I be of assistance? How is your family? How is your health etc? Are all questions he never tired of, or missed asking?
I will also miss his wry sense of humour. MD knew how to laugh and also how to make people laugh. When I joined the public service, I went to his house to inform him of the news. After I showed him my appointment letter, he remarked “I knew something was wrong when you entered the house, now I understand why you are wearing a suit,” which elicited laughter from everyone present from the manner he said it shrugging his shoulders as if I committed class suicide by wearing one. Although he had never before then seen me don one, it went beyond an ex-policeman with an eye for details noticing something – it was vintage MD Yusufu, relegating his role, as one of my referees, whose flowering recommendations put me in good stead for the job.
Having lived for over eight decades and participating in landmark events and decisions in the evolution of the nation state; there were certainly areas he collided with a lot of people. However, beyond disagreements in matters of principles, I never saw him carry over antagonistic memories. As his death bade us a last goodbye, one thing we should do is to take the counsel of the Greek philosopher Socrates and “be of good cheer about death, and know of a certainty that no evil can happen to a good man, either in life or after death” for, as former President Olusegun Obasanjo said of him in his autobiography: Not My Will: “He was a good Nigerian”, and every good thing also has a time it will come to an end.

Okoi-Uyouyo, author of MD Yusufu: Beyond the Cop, is a civil servant