The Shehu Musa Yar’Adua Indoor Sports Hall, Kaduna, was filled to capacity, even though the event was not for any sporting event. People had gathered to remember a man who many regarded as a man of the people and a quintessential politician who passed away one year ago.
As if that was not enough, the auditorium of St. John’s Catholic Church witnessed what must be the largest congregation ever in its history. Even the car park that was converted to an emergency church hall could still not accommodate the people who came to give thanks to God for the life of the late Sir Patrick Ibrahim Yakowa, former governor of Kaduna State, who died on December 15, 2012 in a helicopter crash in faraway Bayelsa State.
All roads leading to the two venues on both days were heavily manned by security operatives. There was plenty to eat and drink as people from all walks of life paid tribute to the fallen hero. The Presidency was not left out, neither were some of his colleagues in the Nigeria’s Governors Forum (NGF).
For two days (December 14 and 15), Kaduna literally stood still in memory of the late Yakowa popularly known to many as Nakowa de Kowa, Hausa for man of the people.
First was a memorial lecture organised by the family at the Yar’adua Hall. This was followed by a memorial thanksgiving service at St. John’s Catholic Church where the late Yakowa worshipped. Speaker after speakers extolled the virtue of the late Yakowa with some calling him a perfect gentleman, a bridge builder, a humble man; and a consummate gentleman, among others.
Friends, political associates, business partners, his loyalists, his bosses and even his enemies alike, gathered to sing praises of the first Christian to occupy Sir Kashim Ibrahim House as a governor and died leaving an indelible mark in the annals of the state’s history.
Ja’afaru Makarfi, the state chairman of the Jama’atu Nsaril Islam (JNI) described the late Yakowa as “a perfect gentleman who rose from the bottom of the ladder to the top and consulted with everybody both high and low. We knew him as somebody who was committed, honest and God-fearing. He was a very good listener and therefore he was loved and respected by everybody. He made sure that all the religious leaders were in constant touch with him and we enjoyed the benefits of our discussions. That kept the state safe and sound.
“Let me say that Sir Patrick Yakowa was in his prime. But no matter how much we loved him, God loved him most. One thing that is certain is that we shall die because we are wearing the gown of death.”
On his part, Bishop George Dodo, the state chairman of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) said that “Yakowa was someone who was very much conscious of who he is before God and the fact that he will give account of his actions. When one is in position of leadership and remembers the oath one took, such a one will always want to ensure harmonious co-existence.
“Yakowa started something beautiful even though it was the first time for a Christian to occupy Sir Kashim Ibrahim House. Yakowa was a blessing to Kaduna State and the Nigerian nation.”
However, for Ebonyi State Governor, Martins Elechi, Yakowa was not just a bridge builder, he was the bridge and the only way to immortalise him is for politicians and leaders to emulate his qualities.
Elechi, whose short address drew constant applause at the event said: “One of the contradictions of death is the certainty of its occurrence and the uncertainty of its timing. Yakowa went about doing his duty like every one of us, but only God knew the time of his calling. I want to, on this occasion, commend his family, the government and the entire people of Kaduna State for their courage and everything they did to put behind them so timely, the sadness of his passage and to turn to a new future with renewed courage and vigour.
“He came on the stage to govern a state that is very great in diverse ways. He came on stage quite prepared; he knew the problems and he knew how to tackle them. No wonder, he is called the bridge builder. He tried to bridge the gap between ethnic groups as well as the misunderstanding between religious groups. He saw the poverty raging among certain classes and he set up an agenda that will improve on the well-being of the people. No wonder he was called a bridge builder.
“In fact, he was that bridge itself. I knew him during our interactions at the Nigeria Governors’ Forum as a consummate gentleman, very calm and unrattled by any circumstance. He is a man to be emulated. What is important is not recounting the good qualities he had, but trying to emulate the things he did and the way he did them. It is by trying to put on stage those qualities he stood for that we shall best immortalise him.”
Chairman of the occasion and a personal friend of the late Yakowa, Munir Ja’afaru said that Yakowa’s character has kept him alive even in death.
He said: “Death is a reality from which none of us can escape. It roars every day, every hour, every minute and every second. It has been observed that some have died, but their characters have kept them alive while others are alive, but their evil deeds have destroyed them. 2015 is just around the corner.”
PDP National Chairman, Bamanga Tukur said he first met Yakowa as Minister of Industry when Yakowa was a Permanent Secretary in Kaduna State, pointing out that even after leaving office, they have kept in touch. He further said that “Yakowa was a good man who will always be remembered for his positive attitude towards reconciliation, peace and generosity.”
The governor of Bauchi State, Isa Yuguda believes that the late Yakowa was “a bridge builder, a lover of humanity, a man of God and someone who lived fighting for unity in Kaduna, unity in the northern Nigeria and the unity of Nigeria. We shared several things in common; one of which is that we must work for unity in diversity”.
Senator Nenadi Usman, the Senator representing Yakowa’s senatorial district in the National Assembly said: “He came, saw and conquered. If Yakowa had not been humble, he would not have been a governor in Kaduna State. It is not an easy thing to be a Federal Permanent Secretary and a Federal Minister and come to be the Secretary to the State Government if you are called to serve.
“It takes great humility to do that. If he was not humble enough to know that sometimes, the way up is down, he would not have been SSG, Deputy Governor and he would not have been a governor. That is a huge lesson for us all who are leaders to imbibe.
“To many of us from our own part of the state, we felt that his sense of justice was so much that we felt cheated because we felt he was not doing enough for us. He was jovial to a fault. No matter how serious an issue is, he always makes a joke about it and he was always laughing.”
Matthew Hassan Kukah, a Catholic Priest of Southern Kaduna extraction and Catholic Bishop of Sokoto said at the time Yakowa died, he was becoming very unpopular with his people who felt that he was not doing enough for them. Kukah said: “I am looking forward to the day when a governor will be elected in Kaduna or other parts of the federation on the basis of his merit. I was among the first people to hear of this Nakowa that became popular.
“Yakowa came as a symbol and God does not make mistakes. It is interesting that nobody has ever challenged Mandela. What he did when he was campaigning was that he will build one million houses; but at the time he left office, he had not built 200,000 houses. There are certain leaders that come and their achievement is not measured by the material things. At the time Yakowa died, he was becoming very unpopular among his people.”
Making reference to his sermon during Yakowa’s burial last year, he said: “I said in my sermon that President Goodluck Jonathan has done for us what Fredrick De-Clark did for the people of South Africa and that Yakowa has done for us in his own little way what Mandela did for South Africa. One of my critics responded saying what nonsense. How can you compare Yakowa with Mandela? Interestingly, you can see that today. We are observing Mass for Yakowa while Mandela is being buried.”
Yakowa’s widow, Dame Amina Yakowa said the day her husband died was the darkest day in her entire 60 years on earth. She recalled that “on that fateful day of December 15, 2012 at 1:00 p.m. when I received the news of the death of my husband, my first request to God in prayer was His sufficient Grace. This Grace that He has given has sustained me and the entire family throughout the year.
“That Saturday was the darkest day of my life and it seemed as if the life of the entire family had come to an end. Our light was completely put out. It was like a wall shielding us had collapsed. But God reminded me that He is present, active and in charge. The past year was the most challenging in my entire 60 years of existence. It was full of physical and emotional trauma.
“Something very simple could easily trigger a painful wave of emotion. But in every one of these situations, God was always there for us. I now understand why God said we should give Him thanks and praise in every situation. The story of the life of my husband while he was alive is well known.
“He was God-fearing and a good husband, father, grandfather, in-law, brother and friend. He was simple, decent; sincere and dedicated to his faith. In the course of his career, he was upright; he was a man of conscience who believed in justice and fairness. He was accessible and related with everyone irrespective of religion, tribe or race. Little wonder he was fondly called NAKOWA.”
Mrs. Yakowa further said that Yakowa’s “tenets and legacies live on and will continue to remain with us. He loved God so much so that he never did anything to compromise his faith. So, we are confident that he is resting with the Lord. “Yakowa preached peace, unity and development throughout his life, and believed that politics is a call to service from God; hence his belief that it should be played with the fear of God.
“I salute those politicians who still believe that politics can still be played the Yakowa way. However, many politicians today view politics as completely detached from godliness and for their selfish interests. They do all kinds of ungodly things to acquire power and not really for the people’s interest. My message to such politicians is that no matter how long they cling to power, only one thing is certain; death and of course the judgment of God .
“Yakowa made history in his life, Kaduna State and the country. He represented the kind of leader Nigerians needs today; a leader that was accepted by people across ethnic and religious boundaries. One thing is certain; Yakowa did his best in terms of achievement for Kaduna State. He would have loved to do more, but God had other plans for him. He sowed a good seed that my family will forever reap bountifully from as can be attested to by the tremendous goodwill we have enjoyed since he went to be with the Lord.”
Among those who attended the memorial lecture were the governors of Bauchi and Ebonyi states, Isa Yuguda and Martins Elechi respectively, National Chairman of the ruling PDP, Bamanga Tukur, Deputy governors of Anambra and Kano states, representatives of the governors of Kogi and Cross Rivers states, Minister of State for Works, Bashir Yuguda, Senator Nenadi Usman and Deputy Chairman of the SURE-P and Gen. Martin Luther Agwai.
Others were Interim Assistant National Secretary of the All Progressive Congress, Nasir el-Rufai, Kaduna State Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Hakeen Baba-Ahmed; President of the Southern Kaduna Peoples Union, Dr. Ephraim Goje, wife of the Gombe State Deputy Governor, religious leaders, traditional rulers and former commissioners in the Yakowa government, among other.
However, at the thanksgiving service which took place on Sunday, December 15, were the wives of the governors of Lagos, Ogun, Kogi and Benue as well as the deputy governors of Kwara and Gombe states.
Also, the Deputy Governors of Bayelsa and Anambra states joined that of Kaduna state at the thanksgiving service as well as Yakowa’s political associates and traditional rulers from Southern Kaduna, among others.
