Our love for books began from dad’s library – Maryam Aliko Mohammed

Weekly Trust: How would you describe your father?
Maryam Aliko Mohammed: My siblings and I collectively agree that he is a disciplined and principled man and when we were growing up, he expected good behaviour from us all. While he doesn’t suffer fools gladly, he is also very tolerant. He has a really good sense of humour and laughs a lot. He is also deeply religious and humble.
WT: You’re also a parent. What core values of your dad’s would you say you’re transferring to your kids?
Aliko: A deep and abiding belief in the Almighty, to always work hard and have good intentions. To respect themselves and others and being always be truthful and honest. I remember taking an overdraft while in university in the United Kingdom and I told my father. He was so upset, he told me off for living above my means. He pointed out how that could lead to stealing eventually. I paid back the £5 and never took an overdraft since. He always enjoined us to do the right thing, with ‘sanin ya kamata’, which means ‘knowing the right thing’ in Hausa. These are some of the values I try to instil in my children.
WT: Have you ever seen him lose his temper?
Aliko: Yes, we all have, a number of times, mostly when people are dishonest or disrespectful. One incident at a police checkpoint along Rano while going to Misau for Sallah comes to mind. After asking for car particulars, the policeman asked for Baba’s ‘particulars’ too. I’m sure he hasn’t asked anyone for their particulars again after that experience.
WT: Is he a sports person?
Aliko: Yes, he was when we were growing up, but he got busy and that stopped. He played hockey, squash and football in his heydays. He’s also an avid Manchester United fan, who ‘plays’ while watching (laughter).
WT: Growing up, have you ever felt you were under the shadow of a great man?
Aliko: No, we all felt that our parents were just our parents. Most of us realized that they are so much more when we got older, and mainly from other people. They welcomed everyone and did not discriminate.  
Our brother works at the Stock Exchange and has meetings on most days of the week, passing through a hall that has our father’s picture hanging on the wall as former president of the Stock Exchange. I think he is reminded more than us all.
WT: What’s his favourite colour and food?
Aliko: It’s hard to tell his favourite colour, but our father has always worn white for so long that we can hardly associate him with any other colour.
Favourite food would definitely be Tuwo Da Miyan Kubewa, but he eats a lot of toast and he loves his coffee. He is a creature of habit, really. He drinks coffee in the morning with toast and a hardboiled egg in an eggcup and spoon. He goes off to work and is back late afternoon, eats and then prays Asr, he then has a nap till Maghrib and has tea in the evening after Isha prayers. But from Maghrib to Isha he reads the Qur’an everyday for as long as we all can remember.
WT: When you were growing up, what phrase do you remember him using frequently?
Aliko: I think it would be: “Remember where you are coming from”. Our father did not give lectures or tell us he came first in school. He just told us to remember who we are and where we are from. So he taught us early on to self-regulate and that has been one of the greatest gifts he has given to us.
WT: What other profession/field do you think he would’ve excelled in?
Aliko: Broadcasting and teaching, because he communicates very well. Then, perhaps, a scientist or a lawyer because he is very logical and analytical.
WT: How does he unwind?
Aliko: He loves to read the news. Many of the images we have in our head are of him reading a newspaper with legs crossed. Reading the Qur’an, listening to BBC news at 5:00pm on his radio in bed before he naps and watching football on TV. Also, music in the car sometimes. Growing up, we had so much music, film and books in the house.
WT: Could you please share with us a fond childhood memory related to him?
Aliko: I have several, as do my siblings. Our father used to also play ‘Tafa-Tafa’ (a Hausa version of the children’s game called patty-cake) with us when we were younger and was quite good at it. He would also take us to watch Dambe (local wrestling) matches somewhere on Ahmadu Bello Way before it developed fully.
We always had dinner parties at home, with waiters from Hamdala Hotel looking sharp in their livery. And there would be beautifully-dressed ladies with high heels and big scarves and nice hairdos, with gentlemen in formal kaftans and shirts inside and the woolly camel-hair caps. And there would always be a live band playing. I’m sure it was the Police Band.
I believe our love for books started from our father’s library. He had so many books and we used to spend so much time reading, randomly and enjoying the different covers, especially biographies and religious books that explained so much.
My brother Mohammed’s memories include a trip to Disney World in 1985, when some lady thought he was a Reverend Father because of his kaftan. Later, they got soaked in rain and had to buy clothes from the gift shop and ended up with a Mickey Mouse t-shirt and shorts.
My sister Yakaka’s is sitting next to him and smelling his perfume.
Hadiza’s memories have him screening Tom & Jerry cartoons, as well as black-and-white Laurel & Hardy films on the projector for us. She pointed out how we always had to get him sweets any time we travelled. Amina’s, too, involve movies, especially old English comedies like Mind Your Language and others.
Kaltume remembers London trips, especially one to Hamley’s when a little girl thought Yakaka was a doll and Baba had a good laugh. Aisha remembers his perfume, pointing out that you will always know when he has been in a certain place.
WT: What traits/attributes of his have you taken after?
Aliko: Openness, and an acceptance of any and every type of person. In our father’s house, the front door remains open all day, up till today.
WT: What would you say is an aspect of his personality that many don’t know?
Aliko: Something very special about him is that he sinks into his seat and shakes his foot and folds his hands together, to the degree of his engagement. The deeper he slumps into his chair and the faster his foot moves, the more his degree of engagement.