It was precisely on the afternoon of 24th September, in the year 2006, at Dawaki Road Kano that I had the privilege of meeting with the learned, humble gentleman. I had requested to speak to him while I was gathering material for a book project on late Sir Abubakar Tafawa Balewa. Having granted the request the Dan masanin Kano welcomed me with a booming, lively voice, with the eyes hidden behind the black spectacle.
My first question to him was “could you tell me the nature of your relationship with the late Prime Minister?” He responded immediately, and I soon realized I had a date with an orator. Succinctly, clinically and full of wisdom he took me on a trip back to the fifties when he was mentored by Malam Bello Kano, through whom he first met Sir Abubakar. It was a long, adventurous journey and momentarily I was caught trying to memorize the pronunciation of tens of words as I was completely carried away by his eloquence and melodic voice. I could still hear the voice and it was there that I learnt “The Prime Minister, I must tell you, was a radical person. Contrary to what people thought or think, the Prime Minister was not a simple thing. He was nice, he was polite, he was simple but he was not a simple thing. He respect the Sardauna, he was the leader of the party after all; the Sardauna was President of the NPC, but he respected himself as well. He knew he was the Prime Minister of the country.”
It was a session never to be forgotten. There I came across a man with innate wisdom and though old but full of vigour. The way he moved, the way he talked, the way he gestured indicated much strength for a man of his age. There I saw a man full of political clout but highly inclined to and very conscious of his religion and culture. There I met a man whose love for his country could not be hidden. That day I have seen someone who took part in shaping the destiny of Nigeria, reclining in a resplendent robe, humble, kind, highly knowledgeable, yet simple and sincerely modest.
I could still recall some of his last sentences: “. . . again on the other hand, Sardauna had conservative views; he was a prince and so on and so forth, but he was not that bad; he wouldn’t want anybody to suffer. So he and the prime minister were never of the same views. The hardship which the NEPU members experienced, the suffering they had undergone was from our supporters and sympathizers . . .” He went on and on into the history of the political developments that led to the realization of Nigeria’s independence. Maitama Sule could have been comfortably referred to as a ‘temple of oration’ or a ‘fountain of oration’. Not just the words but the way they were put; not just their meanings but the wisdom in the way they were arranged; not just their sound but the weight they carried. Only Danmasani talked the way he did: effortlessly yet captivating; simply yet insightful; humbly yet forcefully and not only scintillating but concretely factual. During the session I found the man daringly truthful and frank to a fault. His parting words to me were that he hoped the book will contribute to existing body of knowledge and will itself be a source of it.
That had been the first and only time I came directly into contact with him. I have never seen a giant more down to earth or visionary. He lived a life of humility, selfless devotion to Almighty Allah and extreme patriotism to his country. May Allah grant him Jannatul Firdaus.
Idris Mohammed, Zaria.
