Ahmed Joda
A TRIBUTE BY: Matthew Hassan Kukah
"... With Ahmed Joda gone, the north
is at best now a huge graveyard. Its children are now largely orphans."
The death of Ahmed Joda marks the drop of
the final leaves of the northern autumn. Ordinarily, in spring, the first drops
of the rains and moisture breathe life into the foliage and in turn, a long
process begins to ensure that fresh leaves return to the trees.
However, with the bandits and kidnappers
having taken over the region, Northern Nigeria is faced with a prospect of
self- immolation that is almost impossible to contemplate.
The region’s internal tensions commenced long ago with the death of the Gamji himself on January 15th, 1966. His rarified personage had dwarfed all around him and there were hardly any pretending deputies in sight. Everyone around the Sardauna was merely an altar server; no co-celebrants as such.
Credit must be given to the incredible
resilience that enabled the northern acolytes to rally around and with no clear
leader, assert northern dominance on the polity. These fixers were those who
came under the pseudonym of the so called Kaduna mafia.
True or false, with Ahmed Joda gone, the
north is at best now a huge graveyard. Its children are now largely orphans,
with over ten million Almajiri street children, the highest levels of poverty,
the highest levels of stunting, wasting and sick children and today, a turf for
bandits, kidnappers, robbers and death.
I ‘met’ Ahmed Joda over the years from a
distance in the pantheon of the heroes and founders of northern Nigeria. While
I had met some of his contemporaries such as Isa Kaita, Yahaya Gusau, Liman and
Adamu Ciroma, Ahmed Talib, to mention a few, it was only in the late 90s that
our paths finally crossed and we had a physical encounter that would lead to a
long friendship. I was then Secretary General of the Catholic Secretariat of
Nigeria.
I recall that in 1994, I attended a lecture
at the National Institute for International Affairs. This event was the closest
I got to meeting him formally for the first time and I seized the moment.
I was emboldened by his physique and came
to the conclusion that he was at least, we would level up easily. As I walked
towards him, I was shocked when he beamed a smile and stretched his hand
towards me. Fr. Kukah, so good to see you, he said, as I struggled to gain my
composure. He then introduced me to his colleague, the late Alison Ayida (one
of the Super Permanent Secretaries) who was beside him. Both greeted me with so
much grace and composure. Here I was between two giants and almost having
nothing to say as I listened to them acknowledge my contributions.
Alhaji Joda then turned and asked, so when
will you come to my house? I literally shivered. He swiftly followed with, I
live at Glover. It is not difficult to find. I nodded in awe, admiration and inspiration
but quite nervous at my turn of fortune. I decided it would be much better for
me to strike while the iron was still hot. So, on Sunday that very week, I
turned up at his house without even a telephone call. I felt it would be enough
for me to just leave a message that I had visited him.
He introduced me to his wife who in turn
was so gracious and warm. I was quite taken aback that she also already knew
me. Alhaji Joda spoke glowingly about his appreciation of my writings from the
‘New Nigerian’ days. He did most of the talking, while quite unlike me, I
listened to his wealth of experience, agony and deep concern about the state of
the country. I reluctantly took my leave after about two hours and two cups of
tea. He escorted me to my car and let me know that I was welcome to his house
anytime I wanted. Just know this is your house, he said as I entered my car.
We kept in regular contact and more so as
the Abacha years rolled by into the late 90s. One day, he called to invite me
to a 5pm meeting. We are having a conversation about the future of Education in
our country, he said to me. What did I know about Education, I thought to myself,
but I quickly accepted the invitation. He told me not to bother that he would
come and pick me up, I know the Catholic Secretariat, he said with some
finality. I tried to tell him to simply give me the address and that I would
find my way. He would have none of it.
By the time a grey Land cruiser jeep turned
into our compound, at about 4.45pm, I immediately walked to sit with the
driver. To my utter shock, Alhaji Joda was behind the wheel. Shiga, he said,
ignoring my utter befuddlement. I scampered inside the car and he drove off
starting a different conversation. I had difficulty concentrating as we drove
to Ikoyi. Here I was wondering about the honour of being driven by this old
man, but worrying about whether his sight and focus would take us safely to our
destination.
After the meeting, he said, I know today is
Sunday and I have taken a good part of your time, so let me take you home. As
it turned out, like one peeling an onion, this encounter would be the first
layer into the intricate, labyrinthine and affectionate mind of one of
Nigeria’s most illustrious, magisterial, self-giving, graceful and patriotic
sons. Meeting and getting to know Ahmed Joda was a great blessing and honour to
me, but also something I thought was like a trophy for the shelf.
Sunday was the best days of my visit to his
house on Temple Road, Victoria Island and all I needed was to call him. Often,
he would call and that would be my signal for a visit. One Sunday evening,
after the traditional tea and biscuits or dambu, he suggested that we took a
walk. A walk?, I thought to myself calmly, as I got up not sure where we were
walking to. We walked, crossed Kingsway Road into Waziri Ibrahim Crescent and
then came to the famous Corona School.
As we walked past it, he said, My children schooled here. When my son Abu
was about five or six years, I took him for a walk. When we got to this school,
to my surprise, he recognised his school and said to me, Baba, this is our
school. In response, I asked him if he was tired and he said no. Then I said,
that means you will start coming to school on foot! The little fellow looked at
me and said, No, children come to school by car, Baba!
On one Friday evening, Alhaji Joda called
me and asked, Are you free over the weekend? I want us to go and watch a Polo
game. It is a great game. Do you like it? I told him I knew the game existed
but that I had never really watched the game. I recalled that some years
earlier, I had declined a similar invite in Kaduna when my friend told me that
Mohammed Babangida was leading a team to the game in Kaduna and that the town
was agog with the news.
Again, on the said day, Baba drove himself
to the Catholic Secretariat to pick me. I was too timid to ask whether his
driver had travelled. As we drove off, I kept wondering how this old man could
drive around Lagos with such confidence. Given the rudeness of Lagos drivers, I
wondered what if we hit someone or someone ran into us? How would I explain
that this old man is the one driving me in Lagos traffic? I knew better than to
ask. I sat through it and tried to show some excitement as I listened to him.
We got to the Polo Club ground in Ikoyi and the game had just started. We found
our way to our seats.
I watched the game but did not really know
what to make of it. Was I supposed to focus attention on the ball, the horse of
the handsome young men on the horses? Where were the goal posts and if one
scored, were we supposed to clap for the horse or the rider?
To my left sat a lady who, from her
excitement, must have been a wife or a friend of one of the players. I took my
cue from her exuberance and also tried to show some excitement. I could neither
tell the goal post nor who was doing what or the objective of the game. In the
end, I faked a smile as if I had really enjoyed the game. It would be my first
and only Polo game. As an aside, I think those who govern the game of Polo
should consider altering the reward system. When a team wins, the Captain’s
horse should be brought forward, be recognised and allowed to sniff the cup
beside his Captain at least!
Alhaji Joda was a class act and it was a
great honour being in his company. I finished my time at the Secretariat,
traveled out of the country after Oputa Panel in 2001 and returned to Kaduna
three years later in 2004. We reconnected almost immediately in Kaduna. One
day, he invited me over to what looked like a new house that he was moving into
on Sultan Road.
At this time, I was not sure what to make
of our relationship. Here was I, a small player in the league and this top gun
of Nigeria’s bureaucratic elite was treating me as if we were some kind of
mates. Neither his age, prestige nor place on the ladder of national life
deemed. In his presence, you felt as if you were speaking to a close friend.
As usual, we chatted about the country.
Then he gently said to me: I wish to ask you for a favour and I hope you will
accept. I would like you to join the national Board of our Association, Miyetti
Allah. It is a misunderstood body and in reality, it is open to people who are
not even Fulani but who have cattle. My jaw dropped. Me? How is that possible,
I said to him, I do not speak Fulfulde and have never owned a cow. Your friend
President Obasanjo has cows and he would fit that kind of a role, I said in
protest. Well, he responded: I have informed you and I will get the forms for
you to fill. It is a harmless group, but we need to diversify it, he repeated.
Unfortunately, I did not warm up to this proposal and somehow, the matter
finally died.
Alhaji Joda always reminded me of how well
he thought I had done at Oputa Panel and other presidential initiatives. In one
of our discussions, I told him that I had decided to set up a Think tank as a
means of putting into practice my personal experiences in Church and state
matters. He was genuinely delighted and said he was ready to support me. He
asked me for the location and I told him I still had not found an office yet.
He immediately said, I have a house on Maiduguri Road off Constitution Road and
you have can have it. I am not using it but you can use it for as long as you
want. He went into his room and came back with a bunch of keys. Here, take
these keys. Awestruck, I collected the keys with my hands literally trembling
in disbelief. A few days later, I went to see the house on Maiduguri Road. It
was the kind of place we were looking for, a three bedroom flat with an open
courtyard. Unfortunately, my work with the National Political Reform Conference
and then in Ogoniland all stretched and I did not have the time to really get
started with the Centre. I returned the keys to him with apologies after almost
one year!
All along, I really did not know how to
address Alhaji Joda. As the years rolled by, I always called him Baba mai ran
karfe. When I was appointed Bishop of Sokoto, he called to congratulate me. I
informed him of the ordination more out of courtesy than an expectation that he
would show up. He did not come and I more or less left it at that. However,
barely three days after my ordination, I had just had breakfast when I was told
that Alhaji Joda was in our premises. He had traced my house.
I hurried outside and found him with
another gentleman. I welcomed them in and they had barely sat down when he said
to me, I want to once again congratulate
you on your well-deserved appointment and to extend my best wishes to you. I am
so sorry I could not be here physically, but I have to come to pay my respects.
I came in from Kaduna yesterday and decided to see you this morning. I am so
glad about your appointment and I believe that you and His Eminence can help
foster peace among our people. He turned to the gentleman who came with him
and introduced him me as Alhaji Aliyu Dankani, Chairman of Dankani Hotel. I have
already told him, if you need anything, please go to him.
He rose and I led him to his car as we bade goodbye. The thoughts that Baba Joda had travelled all the way by road from Kaduna just to come and congratulate me and wish me well filled me with deep emotions. It was the measure of a near perfect gentleman.
In 2012 I was invited by the American
University, Yola to deliver their Convocation lecture and to be conferred with
an honorary Doctorate degree that year. I was quite pleased but did not know that
it was a prelude to other things. I would later be invited to join its
Governing Council with Alhaji Joda as Chairman. Barely two years into my term,
he stepped aside from the Board. He did not say much as to why. I suspected
that he may have been responsible for my being a Member of the board.
Amidst the euphoria of the 2015 election
victory of Major General Buhari (rtd), Alhaji Joda put a call to me when he was
made Chairman of the Transition Committee. We exchanged pleasantries and he
went straight to the point: I want you to please come and address the Members
of the Transition Committee. When I asked what I was expected to speak on, he
jokingly, you are no stranger to the issues bedeviling our dear country, so
please do us the honour. Just speak about anything you feel the new government
should focus on.
There is no way I could say no to him. I
obliged, bearing in mind that I had also addressed almost every Transition
Committee from that chaired by General T. Y Danjuma in 1999. I took note of his
frustrations as the wheels of enthusiasm began to wobble by the second year of
the administration. Once or twice when I tried to ask him how he felt about the
government, he merely shook his in pain. I never asked him again.
Alhaji Joda was a near perfect patriot. He
loved the country and sacrificed for it, but it was sad to watch his
frustration with the way things turned out. For a man who made so much
sacrifice both for the region and the nation, he must have gone to his grave a
very unhappy man about the state of the country. Whenever I could not reach
him, I had always turned to his daughter Asmau. She had always been my sounding
board. More and more, and in response to my questions as to where Baba was
since reaching him had become a challenge, it was always, Baba yana gona.
The farm had become his centre of gravity, his retreat and source of solace. Alhaji Joda more than paid his dues. His family should be proud that they had a patriarch of such impeccable character and grace. I was blessed that he counted me worthy of his company. Meanwhile, we look at the foliage in northern Nigeria with trepidation and wonder, will the trees ever bear any green leaves again? Who will water them now that the last of the gardeners is gone? May God grant eternal bliss to a quintessential, Mutumin kirki.
Bishop Matthew Hassan Kukah is the Bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Sokoto
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