Blow your trumpet, and you shall be heard. This is what Nigeria has become, especially since the stabilisation of democracy from 1999 to the present day. Not many outsiders know that Kwara State is made up of more than five tribes, grouped under Kwara Central, Kwara South, and Kwara North. Kaiama falls under Kwara North.
In the first generation of educated elites in the entire North, Kaiama produced eminent personalities such as the late Dr Abdul Rahman Mora, a former Nigerian High Commissioner to Pakistan; the late Alhaji Mamman Musa (Babban Zaria); the late Alhaji Tukur Mora Tasude II, a retired top civil servant of the Northern Region and later the first-class Emir of Kaiama; Alhaji Shehu Omar, a former Federal Commissioner in the Civil Service Commission; the late Alhaji Zakari Haliru, a retired Commissioner of Police; my late father, Mahmud Kaiama Kwada; Senator Idris Haliru, a Third Republic senator; the late optician Danladi Umar; the late Alhaji A.S. Musa, a former Presidential Liaison Officer and Chief Registrar of the Shariah Court of Appeal; and a host of others. These great men were intellectuals and statesmen in their own right.
Today, Kaiama has produced numerous professionals across various fields. The fact that no one boasts about it does not mean it does not exist. The Head and Dean of Law at the University of Abuja, Professor Waziri, is from Kaiama. A former Head of ActionAid Nigeria, Dr Hussaini Abdul, is from Kaiama, as is a former Federal Character Commissioner, Abubakar Zikki. From immigration, where personalities like retired ACG Abbas hail, to customs, the army, air force, police, civil defence, and others, Kaiama is well represented. The navy is not left out, nor is the federal civil service, where many Kaiama indigenes serve. The Central Bank of Nigeria, FCDA, and other institutions also feature Kaiama professionals.
The field of politics is no exception. Presently, Major Yunusa Idris of the Nigerian Army is making us proud, just as Yusuf Jikanmusa is striving in the FRSC. Yahya Salihu, a Deputy Commandant of the NSCDC, and Garba Mahmud (MC Jiggi), a skilled communicator and mass mobiliser at the National Orientation Agency, have also brought pride to Kaiama, doubling their roles with entertainment as a famous MC. Prince Haliru Dantsoho Mahmud took opposition politics to great heights before decamping to the APC. Fellows like CBN’s Attahiru Ahmed and Sulyman Ahmed have made us proud at the apex bank. Dr Zakari Baba Jibrin is promoting the image of Kaiama at NIMASA, just as Mohammed Baba Jibrin is holding the academic space at the Federal College of Education, Kontagora.
The first chartered mediator from Kwara North, Aisha Idris (Talatu), is not left out, and Rashida Mohammed, the Sokoto State NBA President, has broken the jinx. There are many other professionals not mentioned here. The senator representing Kwara North, Senator Sadiq Omar, hails from Kaiama and is also a qualified pharmacist. Alhaji Ahmed Dawa, Alhaji Inuwa Sarki Musa Kallah, Alhaji Madugu Haliru, Alhaji Bagudu, and Hajia Anti Sallah are accomplished politicians who held sway as council chairmen and vice-chairmen, respectively. There are also youthful players like Honourable Ado and Honourable Abu, a former NUT State Chairman, among others. The late Honourable Baba Haliru (Sai Baba) made invaluable contributions that cannot be erased. Retired Air Commodore Sabir is another living role model in the military profession.
In the legal profession, let us mention a few, such as Barrister Bala Mahmud Ibrahim, Barrister Nurudeen Idris, Barrister Tanimu Ibrahim, and others. To God be the glory. The state civil service cannot be forgotten, with personalities like Ba Samari, Ba Razaq, the present Emir Alhaji Muazu Omar, and a host of others. In the diplomatic circle, Ambassador Nurudeen Mohammed and Ambassador Zahra Omar, among others, have represented Kaiama with distinction.
Can you now see that Kaiama indeed has intellectuals? The Ciroma of Kaiama, a veteran journalist, cannot be forgotten, as he remains a force to be reckoned with. I deliberately mentioned him second to last because journalists are four-star generals, positioned at the exit to protect their people. A banker of repute, Bala Mohammed, who once worked with the United Bank for Africa, cannot be erased from history, given his valuable contributions to the development of the area in the nineties. Piokalos was a rare gem, and I shall forever celebrate him.
Comrade Salihu Dantata Mahmud, a public affairs and security analyst, writes from Abuja.
