By Hon Sadiq Ibrahim Dasin (Hospital Paupers Fund Yola advocate)
Lesson Number 1
In mid 2006 Vice President Atiku Abubakar broke ranks with President Obasanjo over the latter’s ill fated third term agenda and defected to ACN on the platform of which he contested the presidency against Umaru Musa Yar’Adua in 2007.
In Adamawa, the PDP was then left in the hands of Professor Jibril Aminu, who was Obasanjo’s ‘Link man’ in the state.
In the hottest Gubernatorial contest in the history of politics in Adamawa State, between Admiral Nyako and late Ibrahim Bapetal, Prof. Aminu, Yerima Aminu Ribadu and I addressed a rally at Wuro Bokki, a commercial town in Malabu district, located on the bank of river Benue close to the border with Cameroon.
In his speech at the rally, Prof. Aminu spoke in Fulfulde nostalgically about one Alhaji Hayatu Mala Iya, who was Prof.’s staunchest supporter in Wuro Bokki in the days of a political party known as Congress for National Consensus CNC, during Gen. Abacha who continued General Ibrahim Babangida’s dubious transition programme.
Alhaji Hayatu Mala Iya was absent from the venue of the rally though. In concluding his speech, Professor Aminu asked the crowd in Hausa “Ina Alhaji Hayatu Mala Iya ? The crowd roared “ya tafi Adawa”!
Prof. Aminu paused momentarily and then asked rhetorically, “yana da dawa ne”? The crowd shouted “bai da shi”! Prof. then said affirmatively, “zai dawo”.
(Briefly explained: Being an opposition without financial capacity isn’t sustainable in Naira politics Naija) – the Periscope
When he finished his speech, Prof. Aminu approached his seat and sat between Yarima Aminu Ribadu and I. He then leaned towards me and said to me in Fulfulde “Sadiq, faljunghe dabbititta walde, walde medai dabbutuggo faljunghe”. I said “non non”. In Hausa it means ‘duk saniyar da ta bace ita ke neman garke; garke bai taba neman saniyar da ta bace ba.’
The Alhaji Hayatu I knew in 2003 was rich by Wuro Bokki standards, but he was really down by 2007 when we visited.
Two weeks later when Yerima Aminu Ribadu and I returned to Wuro Bokki to campaign as PDP candidates for House of Representatives and House of Assembly respectively, I saw Alhaji Hayatu Mala Iya seated in the front row at our campaign rally.
This time it was my turn to lean towards Yerima Aminu Ribadu when we were fully seated. And when Yerima Aminu brought his ear closer, I whispered to him “Allah sure Prof. Aminu wolwi go’onga. Alhaji Hayatu is here”.
Truly in our local political environment, “wanda bashi da dawa, baya adawa” and truly too,“faljunghe dabbititta walde”, meaning a politician who, alone, left his or her political party, often do return. I have assimilated this lesson number one.
Lesson Number 2
Lesson number 2 happened in Song the birthplace of Prof. Aminu, a town located 72 kilometres from Yola, on the Yola – Mubi highway. It was at a political rally also in 2007.
In his speech at a very noisy and unruly rally in Song town, his birthplace, you could feel that Prof. Aminu, like every prophet in his birthplace, was politically unpopular. In his characteristics erudition, Professor Jibril Aminu shouted a question to the crowd, again in Hausa, “mutanen Song me yasa baku so na? In mutumin Girei yace bai so na, bashi da laifi, sabida mutanen Girei uku suka fito neman gomna – Alh. Dahiru Bobbo, OFR, Sen. Halilu Sardaunan Girei da Alh. Adamu Modibbo”.
“Da suka gagara shiryawa tsakanin su, muka share su, muka kawo Nyako. Don haka in Girei suka ce basu sona akwai hujja. Amma ku a Song me na chi muku da baku so na?”
(Electorates in Girei have reason to hate me for producing Nyako as governor when the contestants from Girei could not agree to support a candidate among them. But why Song? How have I offended you?) – The Periscope interpretation
The venue became as quiet as a grave yard. After a few seconds, a young voice shouted from behind – “ba ka bada kudi”!
(You do not share money) – the Periscope interpretation
The crowd roared in ecstatic laughter, confirming that Prof. Aminu ‘baya bada kudi’. On hearing this, Prof. shouted back, this time very loudly in Fulfulde “mbadka ma” he said. He then completed in Hausa – “kudi a na bada su ne? Ai kudi neman su a keyi”! You can’t beat this. “Kudi neman su a keyi”.
(Money is earned not given) – the Periscope interpretation: Lesson number 2.
But from the way the rally ended, I knew our party, the PDP would lose Song. When the votes were turned in, we lost both Governorship and House of Assembly seats to ACN in Song LGA. This was the election that brought Hon. Javan Janbali as member House of Assembly for Song state Constituency in 2007.
But the morals in these lessons have remained indelible in my mind. “faljunghe dabbititta walde“, “wanda bashi da dawa baya adawa”, “kudi nemansu a keyi”. Prof. yayi gaskiya. ‘O Gongdi’.
Lesson Number 3
One sunny afternoon also in 2007 while discussing human personality in his sitting room in Yola, I learnt my third lesson from Prof. Aminu who said “human being is the only object that defies the law of optics”.
Well, I didn’t know what the law of optics was though I knew ophthalmology, from which the word ‘optics’ came from, is the study and treatment of disorders and diseases of the eye.
So I asked Prof. Allah sure “what is the law of optics and how does human beings defy the law? He said Sadiq, “the law of optics is that objects appear bigger as you come closer to them”. I said “non non.” He then said from Loko town, as one goes towards Song, the Bongo hills (the 3 Sisters Rocks) actually appear smaller from the distance. I said “non non”. But, Prof. continued, as one comes closer to the rocks, because they are objects, they become bigger. I again said “non non Allah sure” because it’s true.
But, according to Prof. Aminu, it is not the same with human beings. We defy that law of optics. When I asked him how? Prof. said though human beings are objects like rocks and mountains, “Ko a lamdo on, Minister, Governor or even the President, if someone who didn’t know you closely comes closer to you, instead of becoming bigger to him, you will definitely become smaller. I have since found this to be true. Again Prof. ‘gongdi’.
‘Prof. ya fadi gaskiya’ because many ‘big people’ I knew from a distance (including Prof. himself), that I had no opportunity of getting closer to initially, were really ‘big men’ before I came closer to them. As I come closer to them however, I would begin to realise that they are ordinary people just like you and I, with weaknesses as everyone of us, which then make them become ‘smaller’.
This is however metaphorical. They don’t become ‘smaller’ in size. Rather because of familiarity, they become ‘smaller’ in the level of obeisance we give them, the feeling of reverential respect mixed with fear or wonder with which we held them, and the respect we accord them which certainly become less, once we become closer and familiar with them. They don’t become ‘smaller’ in size.
It is true therefore that the law of optics which dictates that objects become bigger as one get closer to them does not apply to human beings, who, though also objects, defy this law because the closer one becomes to a human being, the ‘smaller’ the human being becomes, whether he is a ‘jaumu njaudi, lamdo’ or a boss in the office.
‘Kala lamdo, maudo be mardo fu’ that has an inner cycle Dogari, PA or office subordinates knows this. Lesson no. 3.
Lesson Number 4
The fourth and final lesson I learnt from Prof. Aminu is rather his regret which Prof. expressed to me sometimes in late 2018 while we were travelling in an Aircraft from Abuja to Yola.
I hardly fly Business Class on domestic routes particularly while coming to Yola. I have seen many of my friends who became rich at one point and fly Business Class to Yola or who, on attaining certain official capacity that afford them the cost of Business Class, change their lifestyle only to revert to flying Economy when the money finishes or when they are removed from office. I don’t want to fall in that class. That was why when I was speaker, the office bought Business Class ticket for me but I took the first seat on the first row in the Economy Class.
On this particular day, Prof. was in the Business Class on our way to Yola. I think only two of them were in the cabin. While passing him to go to the Economy Class, I stooped down and greeted him with humility and respect. He acknowledged me and said “Sadiq war jodu kombi am do”. Meaning come and seat by my side. I nodded, but I put my brief case into a compartment above my seat in the Economy Class, returned to the Business Class and sat beside Prof. Aminu. The cabin crew served me food and drinks but did not ask for my ticket.
When I sat down, the Aircraft taxied from the tarmac onto the runway and took off smoothly. As soon as we reached cruising altitude Prof. unlatched his seatbelt and turned to me. He spoke to me for 55 minutest until we started our final descent into Yola Airport.
Two things that he said to me, humbled me the more. First the whole Prof. Aminu himself said to me, “I am proud of you Sadiq. You are really representing me in the National Assembly. Please keep it up”.
The second thing Prof. Aminu told me was one of his “greatest regrets in life” when he was Minister of petroleum (1989-19992) in an encounter he had with Alhaji Abubakar Alhaji, a prince of Sokoto Caliphate and the then Sarkin Shanun Sokoto who was the Minister of Planning and Finance but now Sardaunan Sokoto.
What Prof. told me about this encounter though nothing could change the fact of his decision about it now, the story has left my eyes clouded with emotion.
The story will have to be kept in suspense until Adamu Alkali (Muhammad) Dodo, the publicity secretary of the Hospital Paupers Fund FMC, Yola confirms to me that donations of one N100,000, to assist in footing the hospital bills of indigent patients in FMC Yola are credited into the Paupers Fund Account.
Hospital Paupers Fund
Zenith Bank
1014406062
See you when the money is confirmed to me by Adamu Alkali (Muhammad) Dodo.
To be continued…