Yusuf Amaza: A pilgrim’s farewell
Tears have hardly dried off the cheeks of the Emir and people of Biu Emirate, in Borno state over the death of three of their prominent sons, Alhaji Dawi Dandalma (the Dandalma of Biu), Commissioner of Police Shehu El Othman and Alhaji Shetima Saleh, immediate past Chairman of Biu Emirate Development Association, BEDA, when news […]
Tears have hardly dried off the cheeks of the Emir and people of Biu Emirate, in Borno state over the death of three of their prominent sons, Alhaji Dawi Dandalma (the Dandalma of Biu), Commissioner of Police Shehu El Othman and Alhaji Shetima Saleh, immediate past Chairman of Biu Emirate Development Association, BEDA, when news filtered in that Alhaji Yusuf Amaza, another prominent son has died while on Holy pilgrimage to Mecca. Coupled with other earlier deaths, one can hardly say the times are good for the people of Biu emirate. As always, we turn to God when faced with some challenging developments as deaths. Even from the mortal angle, we also find words to cushion our despair.
Julius Caesar of the Shakespearean fame sums up the inevitability of death in one of his remarks to the effect that “Death is a necessary end .and will come when it will come”. It does not really matter when or where one dies, but it is always curious how one des. The question that readily came to my mind on receiving the news of the death of my friend, my compatriot and my brother, Yusuf Amaza, was, how did he die? Although he betrayed some signs of ill health before his departure for the lesser Hajj to Saudi Arabia, there was no indication of any immediate danger. I am aware that he was billed for a routine medical check up to Egypt after the pilgrimage. Knowing that the news is bound to send rude shocks, those who stood by his sick bed in Saudi were very cautious in breaking the news of his death to us back home.
“Inuwa, I wish to inform you that we arrived safely to Saudi and have been engaged in spiritual activities since then. But all is not well with us here. Our friend Yusuf Amaza has taken ill and is in a very critical condition. As I speak with you he is being supported by a machine. We are praying earnestly for Allah’s miracle, pray from your end too. But bear it in your mind that whichever way it goes, that is how God wills it. We are looking up to Allah for a miracle, but medically there is little hope”, were the initial words from one of the people that attended to Amaza. Just before the Assallat prayers, the same person called to say, “ our friend could not make it. He gave up a while ago. I know you are bereaved yourself but I have to tell you this. May Allah give us the fortitude to bear it”.
The previous day, I had a dream in which I saw Yusuf Amaza, draped in a flowing white gown with his characteristic smiles, and discussing excitedly with others at what appeared to be like a wedding ceremony. An event in the same dream later turned into a political rally at whichYusuf was declared the winner of an unnamed contest and was being carried shoulders high by an ecstatic crowd. And yet a different scene in the same dream showed Yusuf Amaza as delivering a sermon having dropped the toga of a politician and now wearing a clerics robe. I woke up to the shrill sound of a telephone ringing; but in my minds eyes I had continuously visualized Yusuf, performing some noble tasks. Until developments the next day, being Wednesday, I was still pondering on the likely interpretation of that dream.
Since Yusuf died, I have tried to reflect on some events around him, and have concluded that he lived and died a worthy and accomplished life, which should be a source of pride to his immediate family, friends and associates.. I am also confident that his deeds while alive will stand as eloquent testimonies of his goodness before his creator, and he shall reap the rewards of aljannah… It is a truism that Yusuf Amaza until his death was a personification of honesty, humility, and loyalty to his friends. Even as a politician, Amaza had been so transparent, cheerful and generous to a fault. I have looked around for the enemies of Yusuf but could not find any in spite of his vast network of interactions in public service and in politics. One can attest to this from the numerous remarks people made while on condolence visits to his houses in Abuja and his hometown, Yimirdlalang.
Whether by design or mere coincidences, the historicity of Amaza’s death cannot be lost on people who kept track of his last days. I am aware that Yusuf demonstrated a rare sense of cheerfulness and godliness in the last weeks of his life on earth. Beyond this, certain factors attest to the fact that he left the stage when the ovation was loudest. To all Muslims, it is dignifying to die during the month of Ramadan when one is presumed to be at the zenith of ones spirituality. Yusuf Amaza died observing all the injections of Ramadan.. Again, every Muslim desires to die in the holy land; at the scenes of Prophet Mohammed’s birth, ministry and death. Yusuf died and was buried in Saudi Arabia, the hub of Islamic religion and civilization.
Many of the things I wrote here might not have been known to many people. Two things that might have been common knowledge about Yusuf Amaza were his public service life and his politics. Those who worked with him often say that his outstanding qualities of leadership and team work laid the foundation for his entry into politics. I was astonished at the number and caliber of people hat turned up for Yusuf’s funeral. In a long time, I have not seen this quality of mourners at one funeral. Not until he died that one could see the crowd of dignitaries he had interacted with while alive. From his professional colleagues to his friends and political associates, the presence at Amaza’s funeral was even a greater testimony of his life and times.
Perhaps, the biggest casualty of Yusuf Amaza’s death is the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP. At both the national, state and local levels, the late Yusuf Amaza was a visible stakeholder, whose ability to mobilize people within a very short time remains unparalleled. In the 2007 elections in which he sought to represent the biggest Federal constituency in Borno state of,Biu, Bayo, Kwaya-Kusar, Shani, Amaza single handedly galvanized a hitherto apathetic electorates to an enthusiastic lot, ready to effect changes that were eventually thwarted. But for death, the signs were ominous that the 2011 elections will oscillate around his personality in that area.
A consistent voice in the moves that culminated into the resolution of the protracted crisis that bedeviled the PDP in Borno state, Yusuf Amaza left no one in doubt that he had the will to work for the success of his party. His appointment as Chairman of the Nigeria Export Promotion Council, NEPC, did not come to those who knew him as a surprise given his exceptional political linkages across the country. Just before he let for the pilgrimage from which he never returned, Yusuf Amaza ensured that the resolutions reached at the last PDP consultative meeting to the effect that party executives at Local Government levels in Borno state be inaugurated, were implemented. Amaza will equally be remembered for his contributions to the Movement for the Creation of Savannah state.
For space constraints, I will skip the life history of Yusuf Amaza. It is pertinent for me however to mention here that, Yusuf Amaza, 47 hailed from Yimirdlalanq in Kwaya-Kusar Local Government Area of Borno state, Amaza holds a Bachelors degree and a masters degree in Business Administration, a successful businessman, a politician and until his death in Saudi Arabia on Wednesday September 14th, Yusuf Amaza was the Chairman Board of Directors of the Nigerian Export Promotion Council, NEPC. He was married and had four children. Even as we pray that Allah grants Yusuf eternal rest, we are assured that his good deeds will be entered with his bones.
Inuwa Bwala is a journalist based in Abuja.