| Posted By Babandi Gumel November 26, 2008 The Secretary to the Government Alhaji Yayale Ahmed was among the few distinguished eminent Nigerians that were fully notified and kept informed when Alhaji Shehu Musa died in a London Hospital last Wednesday. The Late Makaman Nupe who was the former Secretary to the Government died in the early hours of Wednesday 19th November. The Nigerian High Commissioner in U.K Dr Dalhatu Sarki Tafida immediately informed Secretary Yayale when the news filtered around and requested him to convey the message to the President of the demise of Alhaji Shehu Musa. In the same vain the High Commissioner telephoned the ADC to the President specifically requesting him to pass on the message to President Umaru Musa ‘Yar Adua so he would also be kept informed. It was the High Commissioner who also broke the news to other Nigerians including the embassy staff in London. I was privileged to be one of the Staff requested to accompany His Excellency to the hospital to pay our last respect to the Late Secretary to the Government. I was symbolically honoured and privileged to accompany the High Commissioner to the London Hospital to see the remains of the Late Shehu Musa. On arrival Senator Isa Muhammed a member of the Senate from Niger State a relation of the Late Makaman Nupe welcomed the High Commissioner and his entourage. He introduced His Excellency to the family members of the deceased that included his junior wife. The wife expressed appreciation and showed gratitude on behalf of the family members to the High Commissioner for the kind gesture. She specifically recalled the time taken by the High Commissioner to pay them such visit despite some apparent commitments and busy schedule which they very much appreciated. She mentioned how grateful they were for the time taken by the High Commissioner who had been coming almost daily to see the Late Makaman Nupe in the hospital when he was alive. As colleague and friend the High Commissioner Dr Tafida knew the Late Shehu Musa very well as the then former Secretary to Government while he ( Dr Tafida) himself was the personal Physician of the then President Shehu Shagari at the time. The junior wife was among the close relatives that were present at his bedside for more than 3 weeks in the hospital until his death. When we were ushered in by Senator Isa we met the ladies in a sombre mood all of whom were the relations of late Shehu Musa. The Senator made several telephone calls while we were in the hospital common room for the funeral arrangements and final internment. T he High Commissioner and Senator Isa and myself and accompanied by two other persons left the sisters in the room and proceeded to the private room where the remains of the Late was lying for dua (supplication) which His Excellency requested me to lead for reposed of the deceased soul. As devout Muslim Masha -Allah I noticed the Late Makama kept long white beard the Sunnah of the Prophet which every Muslim is proud of. This is testimony of the late symbolic devotion and ardent desire to follow the Sunnah of the Prophet till death. The grey hair that I noticed reminded me of the Hadith which says to this effect: “Allah will be shy to punish a Grey haired person who dies with the sincere belief in the Oneness of Allah and affirming the Prophet hood o f the Prophet Muhammad (S.A.W) “. We pray Allah shower His Special Mercy and Blessing on the Late Makama. After the Dua we came back to the common room and joined the family in discussing the final arrangements that would be made in the next twenty four hours before the transportation of the body to Nigeria. An agreement and consensus was reached after lengthy discussion with Muslim undertakers represented by an official of the London Central Mosque who himself voluntarily led another session of Dua for the gentle rest of the deceased soul. Tentatively it was agreed the Late Makaman Nupe would be taken to the London Central Mosque on Thursday after necessary Ghusl (washing) for a prayer session before taking the remains to Nigeria the same day for the final burial on Friday. As agreed the funeral would take place after Asr at 2:00 PM. So therefore I left the Office on Thursday after saying Zuhr Prayers for the London Central Mosque. I was among the first group of Nigerians to be there well in time before the Asr Salah and the funeral. The body of the deceased was brought to the Mosque around 1.20 P.M. and the High Commissioner along with other diplomats and embassy staff arrived later. On arrival I seized the opportunity to introduce the High Commissioner to one of the Nigerian Elders by name Abdulkarim who had been chatting with in the Mosque. He embraced Islam some thirty years back in 1978 a year before I joined the BBC Hausa Service. AbdulKarim who hailed from Edo State used to work in the Mosque before he retired. He was known to all other Nigerians that used to frequent the Mosque and I was introduced to him some 27 years back. They continued chatting with the High Commissioner and Senator Isa until nearly time for the Azan. The Azan for the Asr Salah was called around 1.50 P.M and the Prayer was held around 2:00 O’clock. Immediately after the ASR Salah the funeral prayer was conducted by the Imam. It was attended by no less than two hundred people including the High Commissioner, the former immediate Minister of the Federal Capital Territory Dr Aliyu Modibo Senator Isa Muhammed and many other distinguished Nigerians and Embassy Officials that included the Head of Chancery Malam Ahmad Umar. The Late Shehu Musa died at the London Hospital after protracted illness and his body had since been transported to Nigeria where he was buried in his home town of Bida after the Juma’a Salah. The Late Makama is survived by 3 wives and eleven children and many grand children. Born on the 16th January 1935 the Late Shehu Musa began his elementary School at the Bida South Primary School in 1943-47 and the Middle School in 1948. He was admitted to the famous Barewa College Zaria for his Secondary Education between 1949-54. He later proceeded to the College of Arts Science and Technology also in Zaria for two years in 1955-57. Malam Shehu Musa proceeded to the University of Ibadan where obtained his Degree in Mathematics and Physics in 1960. He went the University of Minnesota in the United States where he obtained MA in Public Administration in 1962. He started his career in the Northern Nigerian Civil service in 1963 and two years later he converted to the Federal Civil Service becoming Senior Assistant Secretary in the Ministry of Finance in 1965 position he held till 1967 during the Military under Gowon. He rose to become Deputy Perm Sec in 1971 and later became Permanent Secretary Ministry of Health in 1974.He was briefly made the Secretary of Custom and Excise under the Late Murtala Muhammad in 1975-76. He was again redeployed to the Ministry of Health this time as the Permanent Secretary position he held during Obasanjo in 1976-78 and 1979 he was transferred to the Ministry of Finance. When the Military handed power to the Civilian in 1979 Late Shehu Musa was made the Secretary to the Government by the then President Shehu Shagari a position he held until the end of 1983 when the Military under General Buhari toppled Shagari’s Government. General Ibrahim Babangida appointed Late Shehu Musa as the Chairman of the National Population Commission the Census Board in 1988 position he continued to hold until 1992. The Late Shehu Musa held many other positions including the traditional title of Makaman Nupe given to him by the Bida Emirate Council. Messages of condolence have since been pouring to the Emirate Council and the family of the Late Shehu Musa. He had since been buried in Bida his home town after Juma’a Salah. The two former Military Rulers Ibrahim Babangida and Abubakar Abdus Salami were among the thousands of Nigerians who attended the funeral prayers. Equally the Secretary to the Government Yayale Ahmed whom we started mentioning in the piece was also among the distinguished Nigerians that attended the janaiza which was held at the Central Mosque in Bida.
Wa Akhiri Daawana Anil Hamdu Lillahi Rabbil Alameen
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