Alhaji Idris Koko, Madawakin Gwandu, served the northern regional government in many positions, as well as the Sokoto State Government in many ministries as permanent secretary until he became the head of the civil service. He was also the minister of commerce and industry under the administration of Alhajii Shehu Shagari, nearly 40 years ago. In this interview, Alhaji Idris, 89, spoke on his educational background, career as a veteran civil servant, the days of the Sardauna and Tafawa Balewa, the real reason the Shagari government was overthrown, among other interesting issues.
By Kabiru A. Yusuf
Let’s start from your educational background; can you tell us about your early days in school?
I was born in 1933 in Koko town, so I first went to Koko Elementary School for four years in 1942/1943. Early 1944 I went to Sokoto Middle School, which was a provincial school, now Nagarta College. I was in the school for five years.
I completed my secondary education in 1948, and in 1949 proceeded to Katsina Elementary Training College for the training of teachers in Grade 3 certificate. I was there for two years.
I started my teaching career in 1951 under the Gwandu Native Authority under the famous Emir Sir Yahaya. I was there for two years and proceeded to the Katsina Higher Teacher Training College. It was the highest training institution in the North in those days. All the provinces in the North sent their students there for a two-year course to qualify for Grade 2 teacher’s certificate. So I went to Birnin Kebbi in 1955 as a Grade 2 teacher. I had the fortune of passing all my exams and got my Grade 2. So I was teaching in secondary classes, together with the British education officer in charge. Then in 1958, the Government of the Northern Region under Sir Ahmadu Bello, the Sardauna, devised what they called administrative service training course. It was a one-year course intended to get the best of the qualified teachers or any other body with reasonable level of education to come at the institute of administration in Zaria. The course was started in 1957 and 1958. I was lucky to get on to the second course from 1958 to 1959. So I was posted to Igala division.
So you passed and became an administrative officer?
We qualified as administrative officers and I was posted to Igala division, which was then in Kabba Province in the present Kogi State, with headquarters in Lokoja. I was posted to Idah in Igala land.
You were posted from Sokoto to a strange environment; how did you cope?
That was the policy of the Northern Regional Government. A man from Sokoto never served in Sokoto State, a man in Kano never served in Kano; it was crisscrossed. From Sokoto I went to Igala, while an Igala administrative officer would go to Zaria. A man from Zaria will go to Ilorin while a man from Ilorin will go to Katsina.
How did you cope with the change?
It was a very good system because I had the freedom to do my job without fear or favour. I had all my education in Sokoto Province, so it was a good chance for me to make friends and mix with people. You learnt their culture and habits and a little bit of their language.
Was it the highlight of your career in the civil service to be appointed the private secretary to the governor-general, Sir Kashim Ibrahim?
No. After Igala in 1960, immediately after independence, I was selected to go to the London School of Economics and Political Science for a one-year course, which was devised by the British government for young administrative officers from the former colonial territories. It was the first course, so we were the foundation students. There were students from India, Pakistan, Nigeria, Ghana, West Indies, Egypt, all the former colonial territories, or those who had some kind of relationship with the British government. We were there for one year.
Was it strange being in London as a black person when they were not used to black people. How was the experience?
It was fantastic because I always liked family life. In those days, senior officers were allowed to go with their families, so you could take your wife to London. I hired a house owned by a Ghanaian and was paying 28pounds per month. The British Council was giving me the equivalent of my salary. I lived a typical life and dedicated myself to my studies.
Did you go to London with your wife?
Yes, I was a small boy, so I enjoyed family life. I concentrated on my studies and had to work very hard.
Was that qualification the launch pad for you to go to the office of the premier?
When I came back in 1961 at the end of the course, I was posted to the Ministry of Economic Planning under Alhaji Aliyu Akilu , who was also at the London School of Economics. He did his Bachelor of Science in Economics. He was a permanent secretary. It was at this stage that I got promotion and was posted to the Government House as a private secretary to Sir Kashim Ibrahim for two years.
We hear stories that in those days, Sardauna’s house (the premier) was the governing place and every senior civil servant must show up there, and perhaps, even eat, is that true?
No. Many people misunderstood Sardauna. He was dedicated, very generous and hard working. He was surrounded by classmates, people like Makaman Bida, Isa Kaita, Sarkin Dutse, Abba Habib, Waziri Dikwa; they were all products of Katsina College and colleagues with Sardauna. He was living among equals, so there was no question of anybody thinking that he was premier, not because he was rich; he was passionate. And it was on merit. Amongst his colleagues they agreed to appoint him premier and served under him. Many of the permanent secretaries were also his colleagues at Katsina College, people like Yahaya Gusau, Ahmed Talib and Mohammed Lawan, who was also my permanent secretary, were about the same age group of highly educated people, and very dedicated.
Sardauna served as premier up to the period of the coup.
There was a talk about some tension between him and Tafawa Balewa, and that was why Balewa was pushed to Lagos. There was rivalry between them. Is that true?
No. I was at the middle school in Sokoto in 1945 when the Second World War came to an end, and Hitler, Japan and others were defeated. In 1946, Sir Arthur Richard, the governor of Nigeria then introduced the Richard constitution, which initiated a representative government. There was regional government in Kaduna, Ibadan and Enugu, and government at the centre.
Balewa was one of the first educated northerners to be selected in 1946 to go to Lagos. Sarduana was not among the first set of northerners who went into politics. In 1946, 1947 and 1948, he was a councillor for education in Sokoto.
Balewa was the golden voice of the North. He led all the northerners in Lagos as prime minister. Before he became prime minister, the representative of Sokoto in the regional House of Assembly in Kaduna was Waziri Abbas, the Wazirin Sokoto, not Sardauna. It was in 1948 that Abbas died and it became an opportunity for Sardauna to succeed him in the House of Assembly in Kaduna. So they never shared a place; Sardauna was at the region while Balewa was at the centre.
The reference is that when the Northern People’s Congress (NPC) won election, rather than the Sardauna as the leader of the party to become prime minister, he opted to stay in the region and sent Tafawa Balewa, is that what happened?
It is a mistake to say that Sardauna sent him; he was there before Sardauna. When Sardauna came in 1948, the first time he got the chance to participate in politics, Balewa was the leader of the North in Lagos. So there is no question of Sardauna sending him.
What were Sardauna’s qualities that made him a prominent leader among such group of very brilliant and well educated people?
As I told you, he was very intelligent and a man with relevance. Many people think that because Sardauna was from the family of Usman Danfodio he dominated everybody, but that is wrong. Sir Kashim Ibrahim was the governor, and I know that many times it was Sardauna who always came to the Government House to greet him. I was always at the gate to receive him and conduct him to the governor’s office.
Sardauna was an easygoing person. Of course he was a very strong character. He was very generous, so he consolidated the unity of the North. There was the northernisation policy and Abubakar Tafawa was holding the central government. I never heard about any friction, even with Governor Kashim Ibrahim. I can tell you that politicians from other parts of Nigeria saw that Nigeria was solid. Balewa was in Lagos and Sardauna in Kaduna and they were running the regional and central government.
Balewa established a broad-based government which accommodated people from the East, West and the Delta region. As prime minister, I am not aware of any northerner who ever challenged him to step down. He was an exemplary leader.
We heard that when you were in Kaduna in the early 1960s, the North was united and things were moving well. Why are we now in a different kind of situation? Why do you think we lost it? Where did the problem begin?
I must say that in those days, leadership was not on the basis of the tons of money you had at your disposal. The Sardauna was not a rich man, but he was a man of trust and honour. When the British secretary was going, there was the question of appointing his successor, and there were people like Yahaya Gusau, Ahmed Talib and Ahmadu Coomassie, who were of the same age group with the Sardauna, but they said they would not take it because there was a young man, Ali Akilu, who was the first graduate in that government. They said he should be the secretary to the premier.
So Tafawa Balewa was prime minister, not because he had money at his disposal but because of trust. He was a very honest and dedicated politician; and for 20 years he had a very stable government. Everybody had confidence in him. People from the East and West respected him, the same thing with Sardauna.
In all the 10 provinces, you had civil servants drawn all over the North on equal basis. When Shagari was being selected as president, it was not because he was rich (see his house here), even the military helped to build a house for him that was worthy of the status of a former president. He did not have money. He did not want to be president, but elders, people like Makama and some elites said that since he was among the people groomed by Tafawa Balewa, he was the best to lead. They put Shagari forward because he was dedicated, intelligent and a god-fearing leader. He eventually defeated Obafemi Awolowo and Nnamdi Azikiwe to become president.
But some people would say the Shagari government failed, and that’s why there was a coup and he was removed. As a minister in that administration, what is your take on this?
I can tell you that the Shagari government did not fail. During his second tenure, he replaced all his ministers, except five. He said he was going to do his homework and get people who were dedicated and would assist him to honour his pledge to live up to the expectations of Nigerians.
I just heard my name over the air and I was told to rush to Lagos, with all my colleagues. He did his homework and sent a list to the Senate, and we had to go. Nobody consulted me and I did not lobby. All of us were like that. We were screened and appointed. He told me in privacy that I was the kind of man who would not succumb to pressure and I would do things according to my conscience. He said he put me there because we had a lot of problem with import licence.
What about commerce and industry?
Believe me, naira was the second strongest currency in the world. Apart from the British pound, naira was stronger than the dollar. The International Monetary Fund (IMF) came with a package of a multibillion loan for us, but on the condition that we would devalue the naira, but we said no. We consulted all the experts and some of us on the cabinet said no. It was one of the reasons our government was overthrown; we refused to devalue the naira.
I think Muhammadu Buhari was equally dedicated. They came to him with the same package and he said that since it was brought to the Shagari government and they rejected it, he would consult the people. He did not accept it. He said they would not devalue the naira because Nigeria was a strong economy. He too would not allow it, so he was overthrown and Ibrahim Babaginda took over and they came with the same proposal.
Devaluation of the naira was a political and financial blunder committed in this country. I think we started with N10 to a dollar, and of course Babaginda was in government for nine years. Unfortunately, today, even the currencies of these surrounding African countries are stronger than the naira. It is a terrible mistake.
But there has been a greater devaluation under the present government. The naira has taken a tumble from N165 to a dollar and is now over N400; how would you describe this situation?
What can we do? The economy has been weakened and nobody will relax. Do you think the Americans would come and say ‘let us bring it down to N40’? The first blunder we made during the time of Babaginda when we devaluated the naira is making it difficult for us to catch up.
What do you make of the current situation under President Buhari?
I pity him. There is an accumulation of all sorts of things. We have Boko Haram, kidnapping, unemployment, pipeline vandalism, Biafra agitation, all sorts of things sabotaging the government. It is too much for anybody. I think we are lucky that General Buhari is a strong character, so he faces the situation with courage. All these people in Adamawa, Borno and parts of Bauchi have been liberated from Boko Haram. They are making efforts to clear them in Sokoto and they are moving to other areas. I think we should give General Buhari a pat on the back.
Have you ever been consulted by the government, either at the federal or state level to share your experience on how to solve these problems?
No. I retired from service in 1983, but I have been on the Board of Directors of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Limited. I was the chairman of Gamji Bank here in Sokoto. I was also a director in a cement company. I was the director of the Bank of the North. The Ahmadu Bello House you see in Kano was built during our time when Waziri Ibrahim was our chairman.
I have been participating in my little way. I was also a member of the Board of Trustees of the Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF). I was the chairman of the contact committee of the Ahmadu Bello Foundation until we launched it. All the governors in the North came and it was put in place to consolidate the unity and progress of the region. I was a member of the Northern Union under the late Dr Abubakar Saraki, the father of Bukola. We toured all the states and tried to consolidate on the unity of the North. I am glad that the North is still, to a certain extent, politically united. Unfortunately, now at the age of 89 there is very little I can do.
You are not engaged in public life now, so what do you do in retirement?
I still attend Quranic lessons. I still go to mosque and pray from my seat. I read a lot; I enjoy reading the holy Quran. I can still see; and I try to talk to people when they come to me.
You wrote a book; what is the idea? Is it a biography or something you want to use to teach the younger generation?
I want the civil service to be insulated from partisan politics. Civil servants participate actively and openly in political activities, which is wrong. They are supposed to advice the politicians to the best of their abilities and tell them the bitter truth, not being partisan.
You said earlier that you were a very dedicated family man, can you tell us about your family life?
I have always been a family man. Wherever I go I will make sure I go with my family. I told you that in London as a young man of about 26, I wanted to be accompanied by my wife because I enjoyed having family life. Unfortunately, I lost three of my wives, may Allah forgive them. They gave me support and tolerated me.
I have educated my children; and I am very grateful to members of my family for tolerating me and exercising patience over the limit of my legitimate income. In my background in administration we were told that we would be in positions of honour and shake hands with the Sultan of Sokoto, Shehu of Borno and the Emir of Kano, as well as replace British officers, so we must be careful and adopt our traditional moral values and be above reproach. We were told that our characters must conform to the teachings of Islam. And I am always under the impression that I must do my best. It’s about what I could do for the country and not what I could get out of my position.
When I first came here as a permanent secretary I was living in a two-bedroom house. When the coup occurred in 1966 and we were arrested, I declared all my properties and they found out that they were all loans from the banks. They went there and saw the certificates, so I was released; same with Shehu Shagari.
