Reminiscences With Malam Yahaya Abdulkarim
Malam Yahaya Abdulkarim was the governor of Sokoto State from 1992 to 1993 on the platform of National Republican Convention (NRC). He was born on August 21, 1944 in Talata Mafara, in present day Zamfara State to a Native Authority officer. He attended Talata Mafara Primary School and Senior Primary School Kwatarkwashi. Abdulkarim attended the Federal Training Center (FTC) Kaduna, Advanced Teachers School, Zaria and joined the civil service of the North-Western State as a teacher. He became an administrative officer and held various positions before retiring in 1989 as a Director-General in the Ministry of Budget and Economic Planning of Sokoto State. Yahaya Abdulkarim was later appointed a minister in the President Olusegun Obasanjo administration. He was also governorship aspirant in Zamfara State on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) platform in 2007.
What was it like growing up in your family?
My father was a district alkali (judge) and we grew up being highly disciplined because he wanted us to be like him, in the sense that he was learned in Islamic education .The then Sokoto Native Authority established a school to train the learned scholars to make them judicial officers. He was the only one that was appointed directly. He was given the position of alkali straight away from the school and was posted to look after Zurmi.
He very much believed in the Western education and always said that there was a future in it and that we should pursue it contrary to the belief of others who were around him. So with all the difficulties of learning in those days, we were able to learn. In those days, not everywhere had schools. When he was posted to Bakura, there was no school so my elder brother and I had to be taken to Talata Mafara because there was a primary school there. But there were lots of difficulties because we walked on foot from Bakura to Talata Mafara. It was a day’s walk along the footpath because there was no transportation. We stayed in Talata Mafara until when there was a holiday or over the weekends we go home. That time was a very difficult time.
I experienced difficulty because that year, there was famine. There was no food; not that there was no money to buy food but the food was not available. I was in Primary Three or Four that time. At one time, we had to run away from the school but my father said, we must to go back. We were lucky that we continued because in my class in Talata Mafara , I was the only one who passed to senior primary school, all the others dropped out. So, only I was able to go to Senior Primary School Kwatarkwashi which was a boarding school. It was difficult but we were able to endure it.
What career did you intend to pursue?
We started thinking about career pursuit when we entered secondary school because at that time there were so many opportunities, unlike now. In those days, we were even paid to read. When you were in school, you got t whatever you wanted, either through the Native Authority or the Regional Government. We started thinking of careers when we were in Form Six and most of our teachers were white - majority of the teachers were British. There were various opportunities but what they wanted us to do was training before work.
From secondary school, I went to the Federal Training Center (FTC) Kaduna. Honestly speaking, when I was there, I didn’t know what I was there for. Somebody came from Lagos to lecture us and said, we can apply to the Federal Ministry of Establishment and I applied. I got a telegraph to report at the FTC in Kaduna, immediately. I met Malam Adamu Fika who was then the principal, he said, ‘you are going for stenography.’ I didn’t know what the course was all about but I started and for about one year I was learning secretariat duties - shorthand, typing and so on - but I realized it was not my career, so left because I had my WAEC and I passed. I applied to Advanced Teachers School, Zaria and was given admission, so I left FTC.
People were surprised that I left the secretariat field to become a teacher. But from what I understand, secretariat duty is mainly for women. I was lucky to pass my NCE and teach Biology/ Chemistry. After passing the exam, the Northern government posted me to WTC, Birnin Kebbi. As I was going to Birnin Kebbi, the Sokoto Education Development Fund opened a secondary school called Ahmadu Bello Academy. I was intercepted because they were looking for teachers and they said they would not allow me to go to Kebbi. So I was held at Ahmadu Bello Academy as a teacher.
While I was teaching, another opportunity came in the North-West state - the present Sokoto, Kebbi, Niger, Zamfara and part of the FCT. At that time, they were looking for admin officers so I was one of those that went to Ahmadu Bello University to be trained as administrative officers. I stayed there for about two years and when I came back, I became an admin officer. So