Dame Amina Patrick Yakowa is the wife of the late Kaduna State governor, Sir Patrick Ibrahim Yakowa, who died in a helicopter crash in Bayelsa State on December 15 last year along with the former National Security Adviser, Gen. Andrew Owoye Azazi. She is a retired Deputy Director with the Federal Civil Service. A mother of four and a grandmother, she granted an interview with Kaduna-based Liberty Radio, in which she spoke about life without her late husband and how she received the news of his death. The following are excerpts of the interview monitored by our Kaduna State Correspondent, TONY AKOWE.
How has it been mourning your husband in the last 12 months?
(Heaves a deep sigh) It has been a very challenging year and a very new life for me without my husband. But I thank God because as you can see, we are coping. But definitely, it is not an easy road to lose a husband. I thank God that He has been very graceful and merciful to me.
Going down memory lane, how did you get to know about your husband’s death in the helicopter crash and what followed?
I will say the day was full of drama because that morning, I saw him off when he was leaving for Bayelsa. That day, I had a very serious cold and he insisted that I needed to rest because he knew that I had too many activities that particular week. He insisted that I should switch off my phones and rest so that I would have the strength to meet him in Abuja for the First Lady’s thanksgiving service.
While he was on his way to the airport, he kept calling and insisting that I should switch off my phones. I assured him that immediately I had my bath and used my drugs, I would switch them off. So, around 11 am, I switched off the phones, after which I took my drugs and slept off. At exactly 1 pm, it was as if somebody tapped me and I woke up. I then saw a lady that came from his town to thank me for something I had done for her. I sat with her in my sitting room, waiting to hear what had brought her. She was talking when her phone rang because I did not take any phone with me.
The television in the sitting room was not on. Immediately the phone rang and she picked it, I saw that her countenance changed. I did not ask her what was wrong because I did not know who she was talking to. The calls came about four, five times and I noticed that each time the call came, there was confusion on her face. So, I asked her, ‘My sister, is there any problem in Kaduna?’I just assumed that there was a problem in Kaduna which is normal. I told her, ‘You said you wanted to talk to me, but now you have abandoned me and have been talking to people on your phone. As you can see, I am not feeling fine. It is because you came that I decided to see you. So, tell me what the problem is so that I see how I can help.’ She said there was nothing. I asked who was calling her and she said she did not know the person. I asked what the person told her and she said nothing. We kept on like that until I heard her saying that she was in the Government House and with me.
The television in the sitting room was not on. Immediately the phone rang and she picked it, I saw that her countenance changed. I did not ask her what was wrong because I did not know who she was talking to. The calls came about four, five times and I noticed that each time the call came, there was confusion on her face. So, I asked her, ‘My sister, is there any problem in Kaduna?’
I just assumed that there was a problem in Kaduna which is normal. I told her, ‘You said you wanted to talk to me, but now you have abandoned me and have been talking to people on your phone. As you can see, I am not feeling fine. It is because you came that I decided to see you. So, tell me what the problem is so that I see how I can help.’ She said there was nothing. I asked who was calling her and she said she did not know the person. I asked what the person told her and she said nothing. We kept on like that until I heard her saying that she was in the Government House and with me.
I kept asking her what the problem was, but she could not tell me. I think the person calling must have told her that there was something like that in the news. At a stage, I became angry with her, saying she could not be telling me that all was well when she had even forgotten what brought her and was discussing with other people on the phone. I told her, ‘I have been asking who is calling and what the person is saying, but you would not tell me.’ The next question she asked me was, ‘Where is your husband?’ I ask her if the call had anything to do with my husband and she said no. Then I asked her, ‘Why then are you asking about my husband?’
Immediately I finished that statement, I saw the Chief of Staff with others climbing up the stairs which is very unusual, especially on a Saturday, in my private session and without any appointment. I was in my private sitting room, and here were about 10 men coming there without any invitation. I knew immediately that something was wrong. As soon as they came into the sitting room, the woman quietly left me with them. I could see it on their faces that there was a problem, and I remembered her last statement, asking about my husband.
“I looked at the Chief of Staff and told him, ‘You know we have come a long way. If there is a problem, the only favour I will ask of you is that you should not take me round. Just tell me as it is and I know that God will take control. He looked at me and said, ‘Yes, my sister. There was a helicopter crash and Daddy was inside. I asked if there were survivors and he said that they were yet to establish that fact.’ But definitely, he was in that helicopter.
From there, nobody could answer me anymore. I quickly left them, went back to my room to seek the face of God for whatever I was about to go into. I prayed and before I opened the door, they were trying to open it because they thought I had gone inside to do something funny because I locked the door. When I opened the door, I saw that the whole of Kaduna was already in the Government House, and I knew there and then that my husband had died in the crash. I started praying to God to give me his grace.
Was there any premonition that it was going to be a black day?
Definitely no because a day before, we were together. We went to J.B. Daudu’s house for Christmas carol. He told me that it was one of his best days. He went round there greeting everybody. Right from the Government House to J.B. Daudu’s house, he was talking about the 2014 budget.
Would you say that was usual of him?
He was very excited because he had so many activities that week. We did the Christmas carol and came back, and because I had cold, he said I should rest, saying that for him, it was like day break. So, he left me and went to his office downstairs to work until he came to sleep. He woke up that morning, prepared and left.
It was later that I thought about how he was doing things and I said maybe it was this thing that was pushing him. I thought about the fact that he went round all projects and told me that he really wanted to do that before Christmas. He wanted to start commissioning the projects. It is not something that somebody would sit down and know whether it would happen or not. It is only when it has happened that you begin to see the activities of that person and you say maybe he had a premonition.
As a family, all we could do was to pray for him so that God would give him the strength to achieve all that. But you would never attach it to imminent death.
How did the two of you meet?
I actually met him at his friend’s wedding. It was at the wedding of Bulus James that I met him. The wife of Bulus James, who is now late, was my very good friend and I was the chief bridesmaid at the wedding. We had to go round making preparations for the wedding, and it was during that time that I met my husband.
Of course, with the influence of Bulus and his wife, he came to me to say he had seen his wife. He did not propose friendship. He said he was waiting for me to say yes. But as a lady, I had my fears and reservations, especially because I never knew him and I needed to know him a little before saying yes. After that day, he kept coming, and there was pressure on me to say yes. So, I had no choice, but to say yes, I would marry him.
How long did it take you to say yes?
It didn’t take quite long. We met around 1974 or 1975, and we got married in 1978.
What were the qualities you needed in a man that you noticed in him?
His simplicity and love. I thought that it was just something that he wanted to demonstrate to me at that time, but the truth was that the man was very simple, down to earth and very frank. Like I told you, when he first saw me, he said I was his wife, and he never went back on it. If it was someone else, he would first play some pranks. He was really very sincere about whatever he did, and he was the type of man I was really looking for; the kind of man who would love me. Because in my family. I had never seen someone with broken marriage, and I didn’t want to be the first person. So, I needed somebody I could stay with for life. I also needed somebody who would love me and love my family because of the background that I came from. I think he also came from a difficult background and needed same qualities in me.
What do you mean by difficult background?
I lost my father at the age of three in 1966, and I grew up to see how my mother suffered. I grew up struggling through school and praying to get a job and one day leave my mother who was a cook in a school after my father’s death, and that was how she trained us. My sincere prayer was to grow up and do something to take care of my mother who suffered to look after us. So, I never wanted to make any mistake about marriage that would not let me take care of my mother.
That took me some time because most of my contemporaries in the village had got married. But it was like I was scared to get into a relationship because I did not want to make any mistake. Thank God for my uncle, Mallam Musa Haruna, who took care of us. You know that in the past, you discussed and sought the input of your parents, even in marriage. I loved my uncle so much that I told him anything that concerned me. The day I took my husband to him, he told me immediately that he was my husband. He blessed him, and they were very good friends until my uncle died.
I did not know that God was preparing me to be the eye and the iroko of my own family. We were seven children, and I am the second to the last. On his (Yakowa’s) part, he lost his mother at a tender age. I think he was 14 when he lost his mother and his father in 1967. He was from a polygamous family because his father had four wives, and he was the only person that everyone looked up to. So, he also wanted a wife that would come and take responsibility in that family. So, we had so many things in common.
Let us look back at the political career of your husband from the time he was appointed as the Chairman of the Caretaker Committee of the National Republican Convention in 1992 to the time of his death in 2012. How did you support him in his political activities, especially as a governor?
I don’t really think that I am the one to give that scorecard. But since you have asked, I will try. When I married him, I took an oath to be with him and support him till death would do us part, and I think we did that to each other. I met him when he was just rising in his career, and I did everything to support him up to the time he got to the peak of his career. We tried to avoid anything we would do to compromise his career and we prayed for him to succeed. His career is not hidden to anybody in Kaduna and in the country, and as a wife, all I needed to do was to create a conducive atmosphere for him to succeed.
When he became the deputy governor and then governor, I was working in Abuja. I worked with the Kaduna State Government, and in 1998, I joined the federal service, and rose to the position of Deputy Director with the Ministry of Defence. I retired in 2011. He encouraged me to work and grow in my career, so that we could complement each other.
At the initial stage, I was against him joining politics. After his ministerial appointment and eventual retirement by the Obasanjo government, he wasn’t doing anything for three years. It was at that time that his friends came and convinced him to join politics. I was seriously against it because I looked at this man and what politics was in Nigeria and I said I didn’t think he would make a good politician. But at the end of the day, some of his friends came and explained to me why I should give my blessings so that he could join the train. I had no choice, but to give my blessing and continue to pray for him.
When he became the deputy governor, I had to leave my job, even though I was on posting to One Division of the Nigerian Army here, doing my job and supporting him. At least, I did my best, especially on the home front. Because when everything is okay at home, you can go to the office in peace. When he returned from office and there were things he could share with me, he would, and I would give him my opinion. My own was to kneel down every day to pray for him because I know that ruling Kaduna State is not an easy task.
Why do you think it is difficult to rule Kaduna?
Everybody that matters in Nigeria is represented here in Kaduna. And you know that for the first time, history was made that somebody from Southern Kaduna and a Christian became the governor. The challenges were there. But thank God for his style of leadership which nobody could deny. He tried as much as possible to bring the two religions in Kaduna together and unite the people. That was why the motto of his administration was peace, unity and development. That is why I said that Kaduna is a bit complex because he is the first man in history and a Christian from the southern part of the state to become a governor in the state.
Can you recall any incident that really gave you a cause for concern in the course of his career?
The first few months after he was sworn in as governor was of great concern for me because of the insecurity in the state. He was trying to put his administration together, but the security challenges were too many and enormous enough to distract anybody. With the security challenges in the country, I was really scared and concerned. But I tabled everything before God in prayers, and I believe that for the period he was there, it was God that helped him.
It was a period that I know I was not sleeping. I was not eating well and everything was wrong with me. I asked myself, ‘If this man is governing this state in a peaceful atmosphere, you can imagine what would have happened, if all the money put into security is channelled into development.’
Yakowa became the first Christian to be elected as governor of the state with over 1.3 million votes. What was the secret of his wide acceptance?
My husband was easily loved by people because of his simplicity, education and experience in governance. If you look at his CV, there was virtually nowhere he did not work. There are only few people in Nigeria, either Muslim or Christian, who have not come in contact with Yakowa. He had that personal closeness with people and knew how to operate at different times. That helped to attract people to him. There was something in him that people saw. When he said he was a governor for everybody in Kaduna, he meant every word of it.
You recall that became an issue in some parts of the state?
Yes, it became an issue. Our people can be forgiven because this was the first time and they thought this was our own. But he had to explain to them that he could not be governor over the Christians only. But that did not mean he was not a Christian. He was governor over everybody, including those who didn’t have a religion, and he really demonstrated that.
In the course of his career, he met with so many of these Muslim brothers and sisters and had already established a relationship with many of them, including those who were not in the same party with him. That was the reason why he was able to get that kind of support, even in the northern part of the state. So, I think it was because of how he related with people and also because people already knew his worth.
Would you say that he really enjoyed the support of all the people from Southern Kaduna in view of the tribal politics that prevailed?
Yes, I will say he got their support. But then, even in a family, you find this kind of problem. So, I think it is normal. At the end of the day, particularly during election, they knew he was from Southern Kaduna and had to rally round him. Such division happens, but at the end of the day when the reality is on the ground, people will come together. They really didn’t have any choice, but they needed to give him some time and study his style of leadership to understand where he was going. You know that some people have no patience. But generally, I think they supported him.
You are a strong advocate of women empowerment. Will you continue with your NGO, Kauna Intervention Initiative?
By the grace of God, I want to continue with it because I know that its impact was beginning to be felt in Kaduna. Unfortunately, I was to launch the NGO sometime in March 2013, but my husband died in December 2012. So, we never had the opportunity to launch it. But it is still there, and I am sure there are many communities in the 23 local government areas that have benefited from this initiative because we have actually intervened and the records are there.
The NGO is still working, but low-key. As soon as I finish my mourning period, God will raise men and women who understand what I am doing in this NGO, and they will come and support me so that it will continue.
Why the special focus on women and children?
My focus on women is because once you are able to take care of the issues of women anywhere, you have solved half of your problems, and if you are able to take care of the youths anywhere you find yourself, you will go a long way in solving some of our major problems because these youths are out there doing nothing, and they are the same people being used to carry out these vices.
So, the NGO focuses on women, youths and children. I was very much involved in maternal mortality, working to save the lives of mothers. Most importantly, we did empowerment for youths and women, and I took time to study why empowerment has been going on in Kaduna for several years and we are still on the same spot. I had to sit down with the team I raised to find out what went wrong? Every day, government was bringing out money for empowerment and yet there was no progress. We discovered that the issue of empowerment was not being approached in a holistic manner, and Kaduna decided to take some pilot projects and approached them in a holistic manner.
So, what we did was to take some women and youths and trained them. For example, many of them trained in ICT. And if you take a laptop and give somebody to go and open a business centre, it won’t work because he cannot perform a miracle and open a business centre with only one laptop. So, what they do is sell the computer and go back to the labour market. So, if you are a beneficiary, we give you every single thing that you need to start your own business, such as computer, printer and generator because we know that light is an issue.
If you trained in catering, we will buy everything you need to start something. We don’t care whether we do it in little quantity; just let us do it right. Once you ask somebody to start like that, you discover that they cannot work alone. They will have one or two people working with them, and you are also empowering them. So, we approached the issue of empowerment in a holistic manner.
