Tribute to a mentor: Prof Abdulhamid Dutse
Inna lillahi wa inna ilaihi raji’un! We are from Allah, and to Him shall we return. Monday, October 5, 2020 was the day we lost Professor Abdulhamid Isa Dutse to the cold hands of death. May Almighty Allah have mercy on his soul and gives all of us the fortitude to bear this irreparable loss.
On that fateful day, I was running my clinic at Aminu Kano Teaching Hospital when my phone rang at 9:58 am, it was Prof Dutse calling. I excused the patient I was seeing to answer the call. When I picked, I heard the voice of his wife, who confirmed it was me and handed over the phone to him. He said “Malam, where are you? I am not feeling fine”. I offered to go and see him, he said no, he will meet me at AKTH. Neither of us knew that day was his last on earth, death would bring an end to our relationship of more than 3 decades.
I first met Professor Dutse sometimes in 1984 through his very close friend Dr Muhammad Sani Ibrahim Yakasai, my cousin, who now lives and works in Manchester, United Kingdom. My cousin took me to visit Prof Dutse, who was then a young doctor who had completed his NYSC. He introduced me and told him that I wanted to become a doctor. He encouraged me and gave me some pieces of advice. He was very charismatic and passionate about his profession and that truly inspired me.
We did not meet again until 1991. We had moved to Barau Dikko Hall, Tudun Wada Zaria, to start our clinical rotations while Professor Dutse had returned to Ahmadu Bello University Teaching Hospital as Acting Head of Department of Haematology and Blood Transfusion. He taught us Medicine and Haematology. As medical students, Prof Dutse will arrange extra bedside teaching for us, he always had time to teach, guide and support us (including financial support). He was friendly, yet firm, did not tolerate indiscipline from his students.
I also had the privilege of being a house officer under him and Professor MM Borodo. He kept us on our toes, would come for Consultant ward rounds at 7am (when he was travelling or had other engagements). Despite his demanding job as chairman medical advisory committee (CMAC) at AKTH, he was still there for his patients. We learnt ethics of practice, dedication to duty and compassion.
In October 1995, a week after I completed NYSC, Professor Dutse sent for me through Dr Shehu Yusuf (now a Professor of Dermatology). He was still CMAC at AKTH. When I came, he gave an order, “come and start work on Monday”. That was it, he offered me a job as a resident in Internal Medicine, without even applying for it. That was the beginning of my career in Medicine. Professor Dutse remained very supportive all through our training. When myself, Dr Shehu Yusuf and Dr Adamu Samaila (now a Professor of Gastroenterology) went to his house before we left for Jos to do our residency, he spent hours guiding us on residency and gave us several books which were very useful to us. He advised us to work together as a team and to support one another, which we did, and the rest is now history.
When I completed residency, Professor Dutse, then acting Dean of Medicine, wrote a memo to Prof Musa Abdullahi, the VC Bayero University Kano, for myself and Dr Musa Babashani (now a Professor of Pulmonology) to be employed as lecturers. He told us, as I vividly remember, “you guys should be Professors in 10 years”. This was Prof Dutse, always happy to support, always happy to see others progress in life. As a young consultant/ lecturer in early 2003, I was selected to participate in a World
Heart Federation (WHF) teaching seminar on cardiovascular disease epidemiology and prevention, in Victoria, Canada. While accommodation and feeding were provided by the WHF, travel was not supported. I had almost given up on the trip because I could not afford the ticket, when I mentioned it to Prof Dutse, who had earlier written a support letter for me, prior to the selection. He said “No Malam, you can’t give up, Inshaa Allah you will go”. He got Alhaji Aminu Dantata to sponsor my trip to Canada, that was the first time I left the shores of Nigeria. Only Allah knows how much benefit I got from that single trip. May Allah reward both of them abundantly.
Professor Dutse had a very successful two-term tenure as CMD of AKTH. He employed many, supported the training of his staff and improved service delivery. He enjoyed a lot of goodwill from the community and that attracted significant infrastructural development in the hospital from many philanthropists. When he had a send-forth by the hospital management, at the end of his tenure, I was given the task of reading his citation. It took me a lot of “lobbying’ to get his updated CV and his recent achievements, from him. He was such a humble man. He was appreciated by all, for what he did as CMD of AKTH.
I may have been the closest person to him among my peers. He had a lot of confidence in me and that had a lot of impact on my life and career. When he became too busy as CMD, I sat on his chair to see his patients in premier clinics. Not long after, he recommended me to his partners to be made the care taker of the clinic, a job I did for three years. This was my first exposure to administrative responsibility on a relatively large scale. I gained a lot of experience and I remain eternally grateful. Prof Dutse, was chairman of the occasion, when my family organized a reception for me after I became a Professor in 2013. We stayed late that evening; he took his time (he was never in a hurry in whatever he does) to make a memorable speech. He was happy celebrating others.
Professor Dutse inspired me, pushed me, supported me and helped me to grow. Indeed, there are many others like me. He had positive impact on all that he came across. He taught us patience, piety, humility and respect for humanity. He was such a humane doctor who treated his patients in a unique way and was good at what he does. He taught people who are now teaching others, he mentored many who are now mentoring others, he inspired more, who are now inspiring others. What a great mentor he was! May Allah makes this a Sadaqatuj-jariya for him.
I conclude this piece (with my eyes still wet) by sending my condolences to his immediate family members, his friends and associates, his current and former students, the governments and people of Kano and Jigawa states and indeed the whole country.
Truly, a good man has passed. He will be dearly missed. We are consoled by all the testimonies that followed his death, this past week. This is a reflection of how good he truly was. May Allah’s mercy and forgiveness be with you sir. May He overlook your shortcomings and reward all your efforts with Jannatul Firdaus.
He had positive impact on all that he came across. He taught us patience, piety, humility and respect for humanity. He was such a humane doctor who treated his patients in a unique way and was good at what he does.
Mahmoud Umar Sani is of the Department of Medicine, Bayero University Kano and Aminu Kano