Most readers will be wondering who exactly Sadiq El dau was and why his life was noteworthy.
They will assume that he was either a political figure or a religious leader. He was neither. He was simply an ordinary Nigerian who lived an extra-ordinary life worthy of note. Generally speaking, history records the lives of two distinct categories of people. Firstly, those who made giant strides in the fields of politics, leadership, academics, medicine and science, which advanced the well-being of society. Secondly, and quite paradoxically, history also remembers those who perpetrated extreme wickedness or evil who retarded the progress of humanity.
Sadiq El dau fell into neither of these two categories. His life illustrates how one of the unfortunate problems with history is that it doesn’t take into cognisance the lives of those who lived by example as ordinary citizens. His life was worthy of note because he defied all the stereotypes, prejudices and presuppositions, which supposedly define Nigerians.
He was a Moslem who married a Christian lady but brought up his children as devout Moslems. His parents were originally from Sudan but settled in Kano where he was born, he was a patriotic Nigerian, and he was a wealthy Northerner who showed extreme compassion to the poor. Those who knew him well are unrestrained in their praises of his life and described him as being passionate in his religious beliefs, a good listener, and a man who was easy-going, quiet and very unassuming. These are qualities so sadly lacking in some personalities who have occupied the highest levels of governance. Sadiq’s demise in a London hospital served to exemplify all that is wrong with medical treatment in Nigeria.
Unlike British Prime Minister, Boris Johnson who when he fell ill was treated in a government hospital, top Nigerian political office holders routinely fly out of the country for medical treatment leaving citizens to their own fate. As a result, even those Nigerians who can afford it, cannot expect the best medical treatment in their own county but have to fly overseas mostly when the issue has mostly passed the stage of redemption. What the life of a man like Sadiq El dau should be noted for is that although he was a Moslem from the North, he had so many friends who are Christians and from the South. He completely dispelled the notion that Moslems and Christians cannot be friends and he was responsible for developing so many of such lifelong friendships. While this may have had something to do with being a member of the prestigious Lagos Polo Club, the fact was that even when in the North, he fellowshipped with people of all tribes and religions.
In Abuja, one of his best friends was “Area Fada” Charley Boy Oputa, who practices the Buddhist faith. What is notable about the lives of those like Sadiq is that they destroyed practically all the myths and prejudices between Northerners and Southerners. Political leaders and agent provocateurs who quite evidently consolidate their power by disuniting people and creating disharmony in Nigeria keep stressing the difficulty of Northerners and Southerners, or Moslems and Christians being friends and getting along with each other.
There is also a myth that the wealthy people in the North don’t care about the less well-off. Sadiq El dau is an example of those who lived lives, which contradicted all this. He was born to parents originally of Sudanese descent who had settled and lived in Kano for most of their lives. He defied the notion of not being a Nigerian. There are far too many people who believe that certain names don’t originate from Nigeria. However, names no longer define nationality. National identity is actually a sense of patriotism, and a sense of belonging to a state or nation as represented by its culture, traditions and language. There are millions of Nigerians whose parental roots were not in Nigeria and who turn out to be the most patriotic of Nigerian citizens.
A product of Federal Government College, Sokoto, Sadiq was a successful businessman and employer of labour, who defied the myth that education is a western concept tied to religion. He had little time for the brand of Islam, which justifies holding children back from “western” education. Like most loving Nigerian parents, he ensured his children were educated up to university degree level. The reality is that education isn’t “Western” or “Christian”. It is universal. His life pointed to the inescapable truth that one of the main pillars of success is the recognition that hard work and empathy are the most important aspects of character, not religion or the possession of higher education qualifications. Like the majority of Nigerians whom history will never remember there are aspects of the of people like Sadiq El dau, which to some people were commendable and to others condemnable. As a Moslem, he religiously observed all his daily prayers and attendance at the mosque every Friday. However, he had no qualms in hosting his Christian friends in his house or indeed staying with any of them upon his travels. Perhaps, most notable of all, he married a Christian lady, Omowunmi Braithwaite, the daughter of lawyer, activist and founder of Nigeria Advance Party (NAP), Dr Tunji Braithwaite and the marriage was blessed with two children Farida and Mahdi. Although their mother is a Christian he ensured that his children were brought up as devout Moslems.
There are many successful people and high political office holders who believe that expressing empathy, regret for some actions, or showing sympathy towards suffering is a sign of weakness. Sadiq had none of these airs and graces. The manner in which he personally patronised the informal economy, where people struggle to survive by running small businesses was one in which his generosity and compassion towards the less well-off would be on display. As is commendable in all God-fearing people, his reputation as a philanthropist was according to him founded in his religion. He made regular annual donations to orphanages and other charitable organisations. Like almost all Nigerians, Sadiq neither sought political office nor actively involved himself in politics other than voting. He severally complained quietly about poor governance as well as money wasted on white elephant development projects. The life of Sadiq El dau is a lesson to all Nigerians that there needs to be far less emphasis on religion and ethnicity, and far more on personal qualities in order to forestall the predicted upheavals looming on the horizon and facilitate harmonious living between peoples occupying the land mass referred to as Nigeria. My Allah grant him Jannah al-Firdaus.
