At the memorial lecture and book launch on the life and times of the late Adamu Yusuf, 3rd october 2010.
At the memorial lecture and book launch on the life and times of the late Adamu Yusuf, 3rd october 2010.
Protocol.
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I thank Almighty God and the organizers of this historical event for finding me worthy to speak on the life and times of our dear friend, a patriotic Nigerian and above all a principled broadcast journalist who left us in his prime and when we needed him most suddenly he left us with yet unanswered questions coinciding with the launching of a book in his memory titled ‘Broadcast Media and Development in Northern Nigeria, A tribute to the life and times of Adamu Yusuf’.
Speaking about Adamu Yusuf you will agree with me would always be an inconclusive business because Adamu was an enigma, a pace setter, a peace maker, a man of many branches of association and a man one can say was a ‘one man riot squad’ because of his ebullient nature and ability to champion a better course for the well being of the society like a magic but then Adamu’s main charm was his deep relationship with the mighty and weaker for it is only in Adamu’s place you will find the powerful and the weak eating and drinking together, and above all exchanging views and sharing understanding together.
He was not a ‘godfather’ but was an excellent example of a revered journalist who rose to become a powerful Nigerian but without office akin to what my older brother and senior priest Monsignor Matthew Hassan Kukah would call ‘power without office’ you know we have people like that it is just that few are in short supply in our country. Nelson Mandela was not in office in the 60s, 70s and 80s but you know he was very powerful than the apartheid governments that put him in detention, the same with Mahatma Ghandi, among others.
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For me he is one classical example of power without office in Nigeria based on clear empirical evidence but I see very few emerging from active journalism we are witnessing today which is largely dominated with money chasing venture along with sectionalism, religious and ethnic sentiments on all these hypothesis of mine Adamu Yusuf was never found wanting.
From a humble background in Tudun Wada, Kaduna, to the schools and to the newsroom of Gaskiya Tafi Kwabo, along with being a regular follower of the teachings of the Islamic faith and constantly present at the late Sheik Abubakar Gumi teachings vis-à-vis Tafsir, Adamu rose gloriously to the zenith of broadcast journalism to the chagrin and amazement of many who ever imagined that nothing good shall come out of this son of a common bricklayer but the rest is history today because 0f the impact he created in the society on account of the thousands of young men and women he changed their lives for good this will continue to stand the taste of time as it remains evergreen in their memories recalling his being instrumental in their rising.
I can postulate that the number of lives Adamu Yusuf influenced for good in his 47 years of sojourn outshines many personalities who had lived and, are still living yet have not achieved much in terms of economic empowerment and helping youths achieve self realization, at least his funeral and after math was a clear vindication and exoneration, for Gwamna Road and Kaduna stand still for Adamu, the last time Kaduna witnessed such an impressive sea of heads was when late Sheik Abubakar Gumi passed on.
The simple logic here is with courage, hard work and living life wholly in the hands of God nothing is impossible and with deep supplication to God mortals can go beyond limitation, and it is not how long we live but how well and how we impacted humanity on all he has achieved a lot, but I digress to my main discourse on the life and times of our friend Adamu Yusuf and relating it to the current dilemma we are in and the way out.
Broadcast journalism has spelt out a good and a memorable moment in our region, it has sparked development and has also shaped our discussion and position on several national challenges before and after independence, aside other side it has also been used in dividing our people but you remember the roles late Abubakar Rimi, James Audu, Umaru Dikko, Musa Musawa, Halilu Getso, Dahiru Modibbo, Danladi Bako, Isa Edime, Musa Isa, Mamoon and Khalifa Baba-Ahmed played in the course of their journalism it was a positive usage of the media in bringing about integration and national cohesion.
In the practice that we witnessed till the coming of Adamu Yusuf’s era journalism like I said was so full of accuracy, factual and balance and it was in the midst of such a brazing tail that Adamu Yusuf came on board from the Hausa vernacular of the New Nigerian Newspapers, Gaskiya Tafi Kwabo.
As I stand here today to speak I recall with much pains and despair when the message reached me of his death like a thunder bolt it continues to witch-hunt
me in search of why we lost him at this time, but as a priest I have overcome all that supposed mystery and found peace and solace in his virtues and good deeds, for Adamu was a man of God in full service of wanting the best through journalism till he left but I digress for us to reflect on our present predicament.
Today, as a region and nation we are in critical time and most challenging ever in recent time. Religion and differences that made Northern Nigeria more united and monolithic have been used as a tool of separation and suspicion, the strength of the North that Sir Ahmadu Bello championed has been replaced with selfishness and self centeredness, the North that used to be hub of trade and robust agricultural sector has been taken over by begging and what is now known as ‘cima zaune’ and ‘maula’.
The North that John N. Paden, Murray Last and others said were sound masters of politics and its strategies, are now vulnerable political slaves in greater confusion and wanting to eat from the crumbs being served by those they tutor in politics and the art of governance.
The North that was vibrant in political debates and cogent political ideology is now weak and cannot debate with logic and common interest of its people.
The huge cry over zoning is a clear testament that we have a long way to go, because we cannot still come to a reasonable position for the collective benefit of the region but rather our individual interests.
I now come back to our focus. The struggle of Adamu Yusuf was to see a peaceful atmosphere of cooperation and understanding in his practice, but I ask, what has the media done in the recent time in the North to bring togetherness and oneness? The North parades finest minds in the broadcast and print media, but you all know how we have stabbed ourselves and created a chasm in our region.
While the media in the South and elsewhere were setting positive agenda for their so called ‘liberation’ and ‘freedom’, you know what ours brought to us, I am not casting aspersions but igniting us to reflect and bring ourselves and the region out of the mess we are in today.
Because doing such a sacrifice is what the person we are celebrating lived and died for, and why can’t we encourage the same today considering the enormous challenge at hand.
Finally, we have to be truthful to one another and sincerely respect the beliefs and religions of our people. We also need to be guided above our personal needs for the betterment of our region and country for this is the tendencies we can emulate from Adamu Yusuf, and may his soul continue to rest in peace.
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