By: Dr. Isa Muhammad Inuwa
In the wake of this new year 2023, we woke up to the stunning and bloodcurdling macabre of the death of two pure gentlemen and personalities in the sister states – Kano and Jigawa.
While an erstwhile Vice Chancellor of the Bayero University, Kano, Professor Ibrahim Umar passed on in the the night of Monday, January 30, 2023, revered Emir of Dutse, Jigawa state, died Tuesday evening, 31 January, 2023.
One common denominator between the two deceased personae is that they were both outstandingly disciplined men of impeccable character, extremely humble and down to earth and amazingly accommodating.
Late Professor Umar was renown academician to the core and erudite intellectual who excelled in his field of sciences. He was a forerunner who had metamorphosed into an indispensable oracle to consult through his worldwide, voluminous researches and avalanche of treatises in his area of specialty.
Yet, despite his gifted in-depth knowledge, the late Professor looks so meek and simple as though he was completely unlettered and barely non elite. Meeting the late scholar on short acquaintance, one could easily mistake Umar, and wave him aside as unexposed and rural. However, that was just the hallmark of his simplicity, modesty and humility, symbolic of his lifestyle. His simplicity was an offshoot of his rooted religious inclinations and thus, a replication of the teachings and life pattern of the holy Prophet Muhammad (SAW).
On his part, late Emir of Dutse, Alh. Nuhu Sunusi, was an overwhelmingly gentle, humble, religious and all embracing fellow. When it comes to human relations, social functions and direct dealing with the common folks, he was particularly a monarch with difference.
For a tenure of three to four decades, the late Emir Nuhu led his emirate from glory to glory, whereby the hitherto toddling state grew up to its present level of development of modernity and urban status. All this was possible, courtesy of late Emir Nuhu’s able leadership in peace, tranquillity and civil oriented approaches.
The late emir’s memorable, meritorious and long tenure made him to accommodate several governors, both military and civilian, who ruled Jigawa state and left or retired.
Indeed, for his unparalleled fatherly role, his popularity and love acceptance to his people, the emir’s death must have thrown Dutse City and the entire Jigawa state into a shocking and very murky state of macabre and anguish mourning.
Incidentally, the two late gentleman, Professor Umar and Emir Nuhu that have just passed on to the great beyond. Undoubtedly, a yawning vacuum, hardly to be filled by their progeny, in terms of their herculean contributions to humanity and their rare exemplary virtues in life.
May their souls rest in the exalted paradise of JANNATUL FIRDAUSI. Amen!
Dr. Inuwa,
Department of Linguistics & Foreign Languages. Bayero University, Kano.
