Unforgettable Memories: Dr Adnan Kabir (1st Oct. 1960 – 7th Aug. 2006)

I remember  very well  your fatherly  ways, picking me up  from school always  and  my visiting days which you never missed. You would gather a group of my friends and many others who cared to join the happy group, we would sit in a large circle and “jist” with you as if you were our […]

I remember  very well  your fatherly  ways, picking me up  from school always  and  my visiting days which you never missed. You would gather a group of my friends and many others who cared to join the happy group, we would sit in a large circle and “jist” with you as if you were our age mate. Many of my classmates knew you because of how friendly you were. With hindsight I now feel it’s like you knew you only had just a few years with us, so you strove hard to enjoy  and make the best of this time you had with us. Baba, I thank you for the wonderful memories. I shall hold them close to my heart till my dying day.

I always enjoyed the journeys back home from Minna, when the whole time would be our ‘time’. We would talk and talk all through the journeys. I would  tell you all that happened, right from when I arrived at school till the time you had come to pick me up, even when I didn’t tell you something  or hid it from you, I felt guilty. You were a good listener, and now I realize how ridiculous and naïve some stories were, but I know you patiently listened because of the love you had for me. And that’s how it went on even when Abdul joined me at the boarding house.

At home during our holidays, those were times, when we would reflect back on our academics. Here too, you patiently went through our papers with us.  A time came after I had showed you my technical drawing exams, a drawing question which I had got wrong. You gave me a simple solution of how I would have got it right. You were my first further math teacher, teaching me Pascal’s triangle. Since primary school you always explained applied physics to us. I still remember very well,  how you would ask us each to explain what we thought of a cup of hot liquid after being transferred to a cooler container, of course we would give our fabricated answers but you told us the correct answers that suited our level of thinking.

With your approval and encouragement I joined the Girl Guide and taekwondo clubs.

When I was appointed a prefect, you later became worried about my academics lagging behind.  On an open day in school, you went round my teachers asking them of my performance, some said I was good but you expected me to be an A-student.  You were quiet and disappointed after hearing the remarks. I cried so much and couldn’t eat anything you had brought for us that day. Coming down to my level you explained to me why I should excel and how important it was not waste precious resources. I still cry when my results don’t turn out so good because I don’t want to fail you or disappoint you in anyway. Now, that I see things more clearly. I do not blame you for being disappointed….. being a first class student, you expected me to be my father’s daughter.

Your disciplinary system has saved me a lot of troubles. I was brought up following rules and so I am used to following them. Traditional and cultural practices were not left out, you made sure our religious ones preceded all. Through this system we listened to your ‘tatsuniyoyi’ (folktales). You taught me how to read and write in Hausa and encouraged me to do so many other things: typing and sporting activities, regardless of my gender.

One of the many incidents I won’t forget was when I went for a dental check up. This dentist I was meeting for the first time told me things I didn’t know about you. She had acquired so much knowledge she said after having a session with you. She told me that you are one of the most intelligent people she had ever met. But Ummi tells me that she is one among many that have said so.

In Allah’s utmost mercy you were taken away from us on the 7th of August 2006. His reason we cannot question because our own thoughts are shallow and our conclusions naïve. But one thing we have been praying for ever since is that you are at perfect peace.

Allah Ya Jikan Ka Baba, Allah Ya Hada Mu Gabaki Daya A  Aljannatul Firdausi. Ameen!

Sumayya Kabir wrote this tribute from Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria