Yahaya Makaho, blind singer says…‘I trekked 26 kilometres to get my song heard’

Yahaya Usman is a popular Hausa singer that resides in Kaduna.  The 31-year-old who is from Giwa local government area of the state became blind after suffering from measles at the tender age of three. His loss of sight became the justification for people to call him by the name ‘Yahaya Makaho’. Then, it was […]

Yahaya Usman is a popular Hausa singer that resides in Kaduna.  The 31-year-old who is from Giwa local government area of the state became blind after suffering from measles at the tender age of three. His loss of sight became the justification for people to call him by the name ‘Yahaya Makaho’. Then, it was for him the rationale to resort to street begging, not until 2003 when he switched to singing. Some of the songs he sang were in honour of politicians such as, former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, former Head of State Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida and former Secretary to the Kaduna State Government Sama’ail Yakawada, among others. In all, he has 375 recorded songs.
“After I jettisoned begging, I vowed not to solicit for alms anymore, so when they are offered to me, I give it to another beggar. Thus, this rendered me financially bankrupt. So, to present a copy of the praise-song I sang for a particular NNPC staff, I woke up at about 3:00 a.m. to avoid motorists, trekked down alone from my residence at Rigasa to arrive at his office by 9:00 that same morning. That was about 26 kilometres,” he said.
Contrary to what contemporary Hausa musicians do, Yahaya’s songs are not written down prior to being sung. “I do select and memorize some of the words as well as the chorus I will use in a particular song I work on before heading to the studio,” he revealed.
Happily married to Lubabatu in 2013, Yahaya was blessed with a son, Usman, early this year. Counting the rewards he gets from singing, he said: “I own a plot of land, a car and seven motorcycles.”
However, having achieved this feat, despite his impaired condition, the singer unveils an intriguing passion. “Even with my condition, I will still welcome the offer to serve in the Nigerian Army, because this is the dream I and my parents nursed prior to the disease that took away my sight,” he said.