Before this day his final day Friday, April 10, this year, he had warned us never to allow his remains to be left in the house for more than 30 minutes without being taken to home for burial.
It was an instruction we took religiously when his final hour came. Just about 20 minutes when our dear father breathed his last and we rushed him home for immediate movement to our homeland, our family house located in Unguwan Shanu, Kaduna North Local Government Area was more than full beyond capacity as people of different walk of life had surged on. It was really a struggle of our lives before we could move our father for home. At that point, I was so inundated at the sight of the multitude of people. How so fast did they hear the news that they made it also so fast to our house? The crowd was a community of some sort: Muslims, Christians, young, old, male and female as well as people of different tribes far and near. Again, at that point I knew we underestimated who our late father was because he was ours, we saw day to day. Indeed, in my life that was a record crowd in Unguwan Shanu any time there was death. So who was our father?
A cousin of mine Malam Yahaya Adamu Uja might have provided the answer when he said for anybody at all, our late father was more than the imagination of any mind.
Our father Alhaji Yahya Attah was born and grew up in Ankpa local Government Area of Kogi State from the family of late Attah Aji of Odogomu village. His mother held from Bebeji Local Government Area of Kano State, full Hausa/Fulani woman named Kaka.
During his Islamic school, Alhaji found a copy of the holy Qur’an from the floating river Aji Mabulah in downtown Ankpa.
Between that time and April 10 when our beloved father passed on, it was a journey only Allah can give its perfect chronology. However, let me venture to say that our late dad was simple, but a man of the people. He has a way of leaving a permanent positive impression on you even at first visit, because whatever he would always leave you with one kind of gift or the other. And it does not matter who you are – male or female, Muslim or Christian and irrespective of tribes.
He has made and created peace in many endangered homes and across Igala communities in Kaduna and at home. In short, none of us his children can fill the vacuum he has left behind in view of the deluge of praises, testimonies and prayers rendered in his name since April 10 which are still coming in torrents as we prepare for his 40th day prayers coming up on Wednesday May 20, this year.
I was with Alhaji on his sick bed, he told me that I should go home and take care of the children. I never knew that his time was up. He never call me by Abdul but Atami (my father). Our father was born and died on a special day Friday. Though we really didn’t know his over bearing influence, he was wonderful, a complete disciplinary, generous, and loves to see people around him gentleman. I am short of words to really say who Alhaji was
I thank all Muslim Umma, family, friends, both Nigeria and abroad who by any means accompanied us to the village, who sent text messages, paid condolence visits to us when we lost our dear father.
For the period we were away to Odogomu to bury Alhaji and observe his 8th day fiddau prayers, sympathizers trooped to our family house to pay their last respect to Alhaji and condole with his family notably the entire Igala community in Kaduna led by the Council of Ihsan Community of Nigeria (CIMCON) Kaduna State Chapter made up of ten branches, family associations especially those of Odogomu and Emere where Alhaji was a father figure. They prayed for the repose of Alhaji’s soul in Aljanna and for the continuous unity among the big family Alhaji Yahaya Attah left behind. I remembered vividly the admonition given to us by the Chief of Igala Community, Unguwan Shanu and Abakpa Alhaji Chief Mohammed Ogbo Abdullahi together with Deputy Imam of Kaduna State CIMCON Malam Yahaya Abubakar. “Now is the time for you the children of Alhayi Yahaya Attah to live in peace and unity among yourselves with your mothers,” Chief Abdullahi said, adding “before your father was the uniting force for all of you, now the eldest among you must work hard to ensure continuity of the entire family.” And the Na’ibi Malam Abubakar prayed for our late father and our unity and blessings.
Surely, it is a responsibility we pray Allah to give us the strength and wisdom to carry out to keep our late father’s legacies alive.
May Allah reward you all for the condolences, sympathy and solidarity extended to us during this grieving period of ours, I par Allah to reward with Aljanna Firaduas, the same aboard we pray Allah to grant our dear father, who was father to all. Indeed, an Iroko has fallen!!!
He is survived by his wives, children and many grandchildren and was laid to rest in his hometown Odogomu in accordance with Islamic rites.
Attah writes from Kaduna
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