General TY Danjuma: Let’s Not Throw The Baby With The Bathwater   

BY ALIYU A. AMMANI

It was the late Malam Aminu Kano that narrated a story of what happened when some young members of the NEPU were arrested by the Native Police and brought before the late Emir of Kano, Alhaji Abdullahi Bayero, charged with “zagin sarki”.

Almost everyone present that day at the Emir’s palace expected the Emir to descend mercilessly on the “rude and uncultured” youths. However, after hearing the charges against the youths, to the surprise of all those present, the Emir directed that they all be released immediately and unconditionally.

The Emir then said; “these are boys whose parents squat on the floor when they see us. They rub the palms of their hands over their faces (as in shafa fatihah) to thank Allah for blessing them with the opportunity of setting their eyes on us, and pray that they set their eyes on our noble Prophet Muhammad (SAW) in the hereafter. When the children of such people now send abusive words towards us, something is wrong. Something is wrong NOT with them the boys, but with us the rulers.

Throwing them into prisons or subjecting them to severe punishments is not the solution. We must search ourselves to find out what is it inside of us that make these boys rebellious. We must seek Allah’s forgiveness, for certainly the boys’ actions are reactions to something wrong in us”

Everyone who knew about the rise of General TY Danjuma in the Nigerian Army, from that 29th day of July 1966, when he led the group of soldiers that affected the arrest and neutralization of the then Head of the Federal Military Government, Major General JTU Aguiyi-Ironsi, the first sword in that counter-coup; to his retirement as the Chief of Army Staff in 1979, knew how much risk he took, and how much sacrifice he made, for the cause of the monolithic northern Nigeria.

What must have happened between 1966 and today that made most Northern “minorities” including Danjuma to no longer feel at home with their fellow Northerners and vice versa? 

I think finding answers to this question as well as brainstorming on how to forge mutual trust and respect between all ethnic communities and tribes in the defunct Northern region of Nigeria is a more worthwhile venture than mudslinging, ascribing blames, championing ethnic interests and washing dirty linens in public.

The North must search itself to find out what is it that made Northern minorities become uncomfortable with the present arrangements. Certainly, their actions in the past decades are reactions to something that is wrong in us all.

Let’s find out why people that stuck out their necks for one north in 1966 are no longer at ease with the idea of a united-in-diversity North. Only by doing so will we salvage what remains of the once monolithic North. If we continue on our current divisive path, then, God save us. 

My opinion 

Aliyu A. Ammani 

U/Shanu Kaduna