Recalling memories of late Etsu Nupe
From Kashim Sule, in Minna
The reverence with which the late Etsu Nupe, Alhaji Umar Sanda Ndayako is held by his subjects is very impressive. That reverence came to the fore recently when a lecture was held in memory of the late Emir at the Bida Polytechnic, and it was attended by prominent Nupe sons and daughters.
The memorial lecture which was organised under the auspices of the Gamji Club brought together businessmen, politicians, goverment officials, learned Islamic leaders, academicians and ordinary folk.
Of course, the presence of the reigning Etsu, His Royal Highness Alhaji Yahaya Abubakar, and the state government, represented by Ambassador Alhaji Aliyu Yarinua and the Commissioner of Information, Alhaji Umar Ragada, was quite significant.
Representing the business community was Alhaji A.B. Umar, a Kaduna based business tycoon whose long association with the late Emir before the latter died, can be likened to the relationship between twins.
Also at the occasion was the Chairman of the Bida Local Council, Alhaji Umar Edota, while the guest lecturer at the occasion was the Director General of administrative Staff college of Nigeria, Professor Sheikh Abdu-llah, a son of the soil.
The purpose of the lecture, according to the organizers, was to appreciate the love and patriotism which the late Etsu brought to bear on the administration of his domain while he was alive.
According to them, the transformation of Bida from what it used to be, before it acquired its present level of development owes to the late traditional ruler.
The event was not only well attended, but also raised topical issues of development in the land. During such discussions those present shook their heads in sorrow when great moments of the Etsu’s former reign were recalled.
The Etsu, according to impeccable sources played significant roles in the personal lives of his subjects and the town generally.
It is believed that the powerful office of Etsu was used by the former holder to assuage personal problems of the majority, by assisting them to achieve their personal ambitions in various fields. Those areas stretched from politics, business, and bureaucracy, to other branches of human endeavour. It only required the Emir to make a phone call and his wish was immediately realized.
Late Sanda Ndayako was also known to be a fine diplomat who settled family difficulties, especially between husbands and wives. Of course, one can go on and on, as it was believed that he smoothened the path for many a young man and woman who had difficulty in finding life partners.
While each speaker made glowing statements about him, it was further believed that the Etsu extended the hand of friendship to those who came his way, irrespective of tribe and religion, thoughtout his reign.
His camaraderie was unequalled which is why Bida has not witnessed religious or political crises which have been rocking other towns in the country.
The wisdom with which Ndayako brought to bear on the foremost Nupe kingdom created harmony between the indigenous Muslim populace who are the majority, and the Christians settlers, who are the minority.
But it is often added that despite the Etsu playing a fatherly role on issues of religion he did not sacrifice Faith for worldly adornments, which some royal fathers are fond of doing.
During the reign of Ndayako, the population of Muslims grew considerably, and numerous Islamic Institutions were established in Nupe Land.
His special role in Islamic religious activities was acknowledged across the country, and undersc-ored his selection as the guardian of the National Mosque in Abuja. This earned him a large follo-wing among his peers which has continued to draw accolades even in death.
As one of the early generation of civil Servants who served the country with his entire heart, no doubt, his record as an intellectual royal was widely acknowledged.
Although, the fame of Nupe kingdom, as legendary as it is, was not the criterion that informed the conscription of the late Etsu into the intellectual class to lead the local government reform team, but an appointment anchored on scholarship.
So when all this came under review in the memory of the Etsu, its concept was wholly appreciated as demonstrated by no other individual than Professor Sheikh Abdullah, who is the Director General of the prestigious Administrative staff college of Nigeria.
The Professors paper, though longwinding but topical, was indeed interesting, and made the one-day occasion a worth while exercise.
His thirteen page lecture dwelled on the relevance of the traditional institutions, the qualities of the late Etsu, and the wind of reform blowing across the land, and how it is affecting the Nupe people.
According to the learned professor, the position of traditional rulers is as relevant today as it was yesterday.
“In some areas, especially the Northern part of Nigeria, the traditional institution represents much more than how the western scholars depict it. To such people, the traditional institution represents divine leadership. The traditional institution is involved in all aspects of the life of Nigerians socially, religiously, technologically, scientifically, politically, legally, commercially, economically and so on. Representatives of the traditional institution usually referred to as Emirs, Etsus, or Obas, have always been products of the democratic structure ever since the beginning of history” he said.
The University don further stated that the involvement of traditional rulers in these aspects of life in the North astounded the colonial masters, who encountered the land already established with a perfect administrative system.
Such achievement, in his summary, was due to the enduring system of education at the time which was wholly an Islamic one.
Islamic education, therefore, was able to prepare the traditional rulers to be upright, just and non-discriminatory, which still accounts for the peace and tranquility in the Northern domain.
The Ascon boss ascribed this trend of attitude to the late Etsu’s sense of justice, truthfulness and fairness which secured for him a place in the minds of his subjects.
“The late Umar Sanda Ndayako was a very simple man who loved his people. Helping out in employment, promotion, education, and sourcing fertilizer for farmers .
The late Etsu was polished, refined, urbane.
“Sanda was an ambassador of Nupe land to the world” the don declared.
The untiring effort of the royal father for attracting educational institutions to Bida town was commended. Without doubt, the era of Sanda Ndayako brought the federal polytechnic and the federal government college to the town. The National Cereal and Rice Institute and Federal Medical Centre were also established in his time.
These achievements, as modest as they are, have brought economic investments to the area, and by extension brought education closer to the people.
The ace-administrator enjoined stakeholders in education to focus attention on primary education, being the foundation of the whole system, urging that the effort of the Emir is worth emulating.
The reigning Estu, Alhaji Yahaya Abubakar, supported the lecture, and donated the sum of N20,000 to assist in hosting the occassion.
On the part of the state government, it has promised to make the exercise an annual affair, to show its attachment to the late Etsu’s memory.
During the occasion, there was a picture exhibition chronicling the past deeds of the late Emir, which stretched from childhood to his civil service era, down to the period he culminated as the Etsu, before his death.
