Tribute to A Father Figure Who Clocks 30 Years On The Throne!
By Abbas Yahaya
We have begun this new Gregorian and Islamic Lunar calendar on a very good note following the anniversary of one of Lokojan’s finest individuals.
I am glad and happy to celebrate the 30 years of traditional leadership spent by our esteem, amiable and friendly royal highness, a father figure, the Maigari of Lokoja, Alh. (Dr.) Muhammadu Kabiru Maikarfi III oon, fksp, Chairman Lokoja Traditional Council of Chiefs.
His Royal Highness spent these fruitful number of years leading the people of Lokoja with respect, good royalty leadership, knowledge and wisdom. Unlike many Nigerian Emirs and monarchs, Maigari of Lokoja’s traditional journey is a modest who living an admirably simple life as testified by people who had been close to him often testify of his humility.
The most fascinating character displayed and I admired so much about his quality is his being closeness to everybody regardless of wealth or position. Indeed, his character, humility, and love for ‘Lokoja First’ stood him out. This is reflected in his utterances. He
preached peace, love, justice, and tranquility
The Maigari does not discriminate between the rich and the poor; the young and the old. He believes in dialogue and free speech in airing views to refresh minds in any topical issues affecting people whether at local, state or national levels. A renowned traditional ruler, social and family leader, vastly knowledgeable gentleman, erudite Islamic scholar, formidable and statesman
Amidst these unprecedented happenings in our life time; we the people of Lokoja still find a historic and happy moment to identify with our leader and father – His Royal Highness.
Notwistanding, In this 30th fasting in the month of Ramadan, then it is true that in Lokoja, no matter how blessed or privileged they may be, hardly mark such anniversary with fanfare. But those of us who are children to His Highness’s generation and especially those who have benefited from the leadership of this great royal figure and his contemporaries would always feel obligated to celebrate him! That is because If we do not do that, many would not know that
He was enthroned as the New Maigari of Lokoja in 1992 after the death of his great and lovely father where the present Maigari ‘copy and paste’ his lifestyles, behaviors, good manners and style of royal leadership.
“Like Father, Like Son”. He replaced his good and respectable father, His Royal Highness, late Alh. Yahaya Muhammadu Maikarfi. May Allah Grant Him the Highest Respected Al-Jannatul Firdaus A’ala. Amin.
While asking the Almighty Allah on His behalf for more decades on the stool of his distinguished predecessors, His Royal Highness has also received the unquantifiable blessings of Allah for living beyond the age of his father which through his rich mind has been able to reform some youths who were once seen as irredeemable. Some of them he has gone ahead to offer them employment opportunities and having seen that rascality and criminality give nothing but untimely demise of dreams have been living their lives in conformity with societal values and ideals.
Our father has not only been favoured with longevity of life spending 30 years today on the throne, he would also be marking his exciting of many more years that would venerated throne of his glorious forebears.
Having established the above, I am interested in leading my readers into some of the decisive roles His Royal Highness, the Maigari of Lokoja has played; particularly since he mounted the stool of his predecessors. I am doing that, not only to give account of what I witnessed, but for you and I to learn one or two things from his exemplary leadership.
Many arm-chair critics do not know that the palaces of our traditional rulers are always busy. To them, those who are occupying the stools of their forefathers are doing nothing significant towards the smooth running of modern societies. I beg to disagree with those who share that stereotype. If others are not doing anything or as much, the Maigari of Lokoja has always been a very tightly engaged leader who often committed long time, great energy and a lot of resources towards the promotion of peace and development of his domain and even beyond. My experience has clearly informed me that the traditional rulers are doing a lot despite the fact that they are yet to be given clearcut constitutional responsibilities.
The Maigari of Lokoja, since he mounted the respected stool of his illustrious forebears, has been a very busy man who is always involved in the settlement of one crisis or the other. Many family wrangling, intra and inter-communities aggressions and religious discords, chieftaincy palaver and even institutional challenges, not to talk of land matters, to mention a few, which could have turned several parts of the community and the State into “war zones” are often resolved by His Royal Highness with the assistance of his districts heads. (Hakimi’s/Mai Anguwa) and some of the most distinguished elders of the community. This is not peculiar to the striving people of Lokoja at home but even amongst those who are in diaspora who trusted the judgement and well-informed interventions of this distinguished ‘Mai Martaba’.
Because we are in a “world of empiricism”, where statements must be backed with unassailable facts, I will cite a few instances. Those who are familiar with His Highness in would recall the efforts he successfully exerted at enthroning stability at one of the enduring contributions of his stool to the progress, development and propagation of Islamic education in Lokoja.
The Maigari of Lokoja is always after the unity and progress of the people of “Lokwaja Garin Bature”. His prayers and efforts are yielding as it is evidenced in the recurring progress amongst the indigenes and residents as well as across his constituency since 1992 when he became the Maigari.
As if the above are not enough; just recently and in a bid to cushion the effects of hardships on the ordinary people of his town, His Highness mobilise support for the less-privileged ones among his subjects. While he usually shared foodstuffs and beverages worth Millions of naira, his eminent subjects were also encouraged by his leadership by example to support their widow’s mite.
Be that as it may, there is need to preserve and expand the greatness of his Lokoja Emirate in the outermost areas of his geographical constituency.
May I, on behalf of my humble self and my family as well as upcoming generations of the people of Lokoja felicitate most sincerely as my mother Hajia Marka would always describe Maigari of Lokoja for being a father in a million to all the sons and daughters of Lokoja.
May Allah bless, His Royal Highness, Alh. Dr. Muhammad Kabiru Maikarfi III with a very rewarding abundance of good health and long life to keep the good things associated with the people and May Allah continue granting him the wisdom to lead the people in the next 30 years and above.
Abbas Yahaya writes from Kabawa