Reminiscences with Elisha Buba Yero
Elisha Buba Yero is known for his contribution to peace building in Kaduna State when he served as permanent secretary. Now retired from service and working for an international organisation on peace, the 75-year-old traditional titleholder Wakili Kpop Ha
How did you start school? I was raised in Kwoi town, which is the headquarters of Jaba Local Government, Kaduna State. The only challenge I suffered at the time of getting into the primary school was that some of us were not tall. Those days, they would say that until your hand would touch your ear you would not be admitted. So, two times I went to enroll in primary school but my hand couldn’t reach my ear until the age of nine. Today, it sounds funny because a child of four can go to primary one. I was admitted to what is today called Mallam Maude Primary School in Kwoi. I spent seven years there. I had one year break before I went to another private school. From there, I went to what is today called Government Science Secondary School, Kagoro.
I will say that from primary to secondary school, I had little challenges. The only challenge
I had was getting into primary school a little bit late. But it taught us a lesson - we realised that both the mental and chronological age should tally.
Getting to school very early is not a guarantee that you would do well to the end. This is because there will be a time when there would be latency in the brain.
After secondary school, I was bent on reading Pharmacy, so I was working hard in the sciences, especially Chemistry. Unfortunately, sometimes what you propose is not what you get. I was very good in Literature and History, to the extent that whenever there was drama I would play the key actor. When we were about to finish, one teacher told me that he was ready to get me admission to the University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN) to do Theater Arts because he saw my performance. He said I would do well there. But I laid it off. If I had listened and gone, I would probably have become one of the first people to start Theater Arts.
Again, you will see that what you want may not be what God wants; and this is what I experienced.
I passed my secondary school exams quite alright and went to King’s College of the North, Keffi, for my High School Certificate Examination (HSCE). When I was there, the former president of Nigeria, Umaru Yar’adua, was in Form 2 with the minister of information. I was still wanted to go for Pharmacy. When my results came, I got the form to go, but I needed the principal to sign.
When I took it to him, he looked at me and my results and said, “Go, I will not sign.’’ When I asked why he would not sign, he pushed me out of his office. I turned and said that if I failed in life I would hold him responsible. He said I would not fail in life, and I went home feeling very sad. I thought it was the end of my life because I had not been concentrating on my HSCE, and it was getting to one year, so I had to sit down and think hard. I had to study my Physics very seriously. I went back and finished and was given direct admission to the Ahmadu Bello University (ABU), where I read Chemistry/Zoology.
Another challenge was, if I read only Chemistry, what would I do? The only thing was to go and teach because there were few openings that one could go to. It wasn’t a specialised training, so I also decided to enlist for a graduate course in education, which was rare. If you did a course in education you would come back and do the graduate training, but I pleaded that I wanted to do it together so that I would graduate with a certificate in education, and I was allowed. When I was doing that, Professor Bakey would mark my paper separately because sometimes I would go for lectures separately. I would go at my own time and they would give me the papers. That was how I managed to do the graduate course for three years and graduated both in Chemistry and Zoology as a trained teacher. When I was about to graduate I was already given an appointment by the government as a vice principal in Kachia. But I rejected the offer and I decided to go back to the school where I was trained. It was a voluntary agency school. That was where I taught. I became a vice principal there, and later, principal. Government took over from voluntary agencies in 1972 and we became government staff.
You are a member of the Rotary Club, how did you join?
I joined Rotary in March 1986 when I was serving in Zaria; that is about 33 years ago. I was the first indigene of Kaduna State to join the Rotary International. I was president of my club from 1998 to 1999.
How was it in the beginning?
I chose to join Rotary in Zaria because I happened to meet some Rotarians who worked in the club and I saw how they were dedicated to their meetings, which held every week. I attended several meetings with them. Their foremost objective was to see that they built peace in the world. That is why I joined the club. As soon as I joined, after a few months I was given my first challenging activity, which was the Polio Club. I was asked to be in charge of Ikara Local Government to make sure that during immunisation, we administered the vaccine to all children below the age of five. So I was in charge of the vaccines and I did it successfully. I felt the challenge was very rewarding.
When I was about to graduate I was already given an appointment by the government as a vice principal in Kachia. But I rejected the offer and I decided to go back to the school where I was trained.
Were you disappointed that you didn’t read Pharmacy?
Initially, I felt disappointed, but I later submitted to the will of
God. I accepted to teach, but I said I would not do that for more than five years. I decided that I would learn other jobs, and I almost did that. I almost left teaching after five years to pursue other careers, but again, God didn’t allow it, so I continued.
How did you feel when the government took over voluntary agency schools?
At that time, one had an open mind. I knew how much my father suffered to pay my fees at a voluntary agency school. So, when government decided to take over, I felt it was a very good thing because children could come in without excessive payment. Government schools were almost free. I felt that was the best we could have. Now, children can go to school without suffering the way I suffered. Many of my classmates could not continue because of this. I had no ill feeling at all, after all, it didn’t change the objectives of the school, it didn’t change the curriculum, and it didn’t change anything. The only thing is that it would be open to more students from different places.
Can you still remember your mates in primary school?
Yes, people like the former managing director of Nigeria Airways, Engineer Zakari Haruna and former director of engineering in the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA), the first set of engineers who opened Abuja when it was just catching up. We have a few boys who became permanent secretaries, like I did.
You rose to the position of permanent secretary in the civil service, how was the journey?
I was the oldest and longest serving director in the Kaduna State Ministry of Education, even till date. I started as a primary inspector to divisional inspector and later became the chairman of northern and southern states through what we called exchange programme. I was the chairman of exchange programme, schools and inspector of 19 states and two states in the South - Akwa Ibom and Cross River.
The last position I held was that of a director, which included inspection and quality control. We were in charge of exams, including producing papers. While there, I was preparing for my retirement because I knew that in the next few years I would reach that age.
In January 2000, the former governor of Kaduna State, Ahmed Makarfi, made me a permanent secretary. Some thought I was handpicked, but there were seven of my course-mates in service, and we were the highest serving public servants in ranks, whether in administration or education. My post was not in education but religious affairs. That was when Makarfi launched the Bureau of Religious Affairs and I was appointed permanent secretary of Religious Affairs in charge of Christian matters, and
When another crisis came over a cartoon, people did not accept it. They asked questions. So our work was wonderful. By 2002 we took religious leaders in Kaduna State, both Christians and Muslims, to different places to train on why they should accept and build peace. They accepted that they would make an agreement on how we could live in peace in Kaduna State.
my colleague, Alhaji Balarabe Jigo was the permanent secretary in charge of Islamic affairs. Many people do not remember that three weeks after we were appointed, the Sharia crisis broke out on February 21, 2000. Because of that, people thought Makarfi knew there would be religious crisis; hence he established the bureau; but it was coincidental. We had to work hard on the crisis. It was the worst crisis I ever witnessed in Kaduna State.
We worked tirelessly, day and night. My experience as a Rotarian was brought there because Rotarians are bound for peace. Our challenge was to make peace and that was a great challenge. Honestly, I learned a lot during that period. Makarfi gave us the authority to work and make peace. We were free to bring people from everywhere to facilitate peace, so I brought different individuals and organisations from inside and outside Nigeria to help us bring peace. We also worked hard to establish different structures that could bring peace to the grassroots, in schools and other places. That was the most challenging time I had in my five years. After a year, another crisis came up - the Miss Nigeria crisis. But by the time the crisis came, people had been enlightened on the importance of peace. There were established structures, down to the grassroots. That time, you could not successfully tell anybody to engage in crisis. We examined ourselves and saw that we were making progress in Kaduna State.
When another crisis came over a cartoon, people did not accept it. They asked questions. So our work was wonderful. By 2002 we took religious leaders in Kaduna State, both Christians and Muslims, to different places to train on why they should accept and build peace. They accepted that they would make an agreement on how we could live in peace in Kaduna State. An agreement was signed and it was celebrated at the Murtala Square. It was the first peace agreement in Africa. Top Muslim and Christian clerics signed it. And there was no major crisis in Kaduna until 2011, after the elections. We enjoyed 9 years of peace. What I learnt as a permanent secretary is the importance of peace building. If you check my history you would see that it was part of my upbringing. When I was growing up in Kwoi, there was a mosque to the left of my house and to the right was my neighbour, who was the imam of the mosque, while the centre was where traditionalists had their dance. And in front of my house was a small church. That was the type of community I was raised, so I did not know the difference between a Muslim and a Christian. I saw them eating and dancing together. At that time, there was good co-existence. I remember that there was crisis and a Muslim took my uncle’s father to court and the first witness to my uncle was the Sarkin Hausawa and the imam. Today, it is difficult to see a Christian inviting a Muslim to be a witness in any case. That is why I feel that if we can go back to the way we lived before we would not have problems.
The Makarfi era is said to have laid a foundation for peace, can you give us details on how you were able to achieve this?
We were able to put up structures and went out to sensitise people because the government was very liberal. The governor was ready, and he trusted us. The government gave us liberty and we were able to go out and look for those that were experienced in peace building. They gave us a lot of training. From there, we learned to appoint peace builders, and they did well.
We were successful because both of us agreed and discovered structures like the one we established, which was called Rapid Result. If anything happened anywhere, that committee would move quickly. It was made up of Muslims and Christians. We built structures that went down to the grassroots. We attended security meetings. You know security meetings are not for permanent secretaries, but my colleague and I would always attend. We were in charge of security of religion.
We enjoyed the cooperation of our religious leaders very extensively, to the extent that we still do things with them, irrespective of their religion. One of the challenges we had was the establishment of Shari’a and Customary courts. Makarfi was intelligent to think of it. He abolished the Area Court and split it into Shari’a and Customary courts. It took us time to discuss properly with Christian clerics, but later, they were able to see the benefits and how it could reduce conflict between the two religions. Till date, Christians feel satisfied. The Muslims are also satisfied because if you want to be judged according to Islamic laws, they are available. That is part of how peace was finally bought to Kaduna State.
Did you do anything that made them put you in charge of that bureau when it was established?
One will not pinpoint what made them choose me, but
like I said, I was among the top seven in the service. The bureau was established before the crisis, so it was not because of that. We did not expect that there would be crisis. However, government has record of every servant, so they can always check on their records to see what type of job they have done. I have always believed it’s God that made sure I didn’t leave educational services, which I did for 28 years. I think he did that because he was preparing me for this service and my later life.
You continued as an adviser in the subsequent administration. How did that happen?
I retired mandatorily after putting in 35years in service and attaining 60 years of age. I retired in 2006. When the new governor came in 2007, he invited me to become his special adviser on religious matters. So I served under him as a special adviser for two years. As usual, we were supervising Christian activities, peaceful coexistence and privileges, and so on. I advised the governor on what to do and what not to do as it concerned religious affairs. Again, we lived in peace during those years. After two years, I finally left the services of the governor, but I was still acquiring experience, especially in peace building. Before I left, I did training in peace building in Washington for three weeks. There, I met a person who attended the same course with me. When we finished service, he called me and said he was working at the United Religions Initiative. It was an interfaith organisation and my state was in religious crisis. During the course in Washington, I gave my story and spoke. They heard my voice and were looking for me to join them. And before you joined them, organisations in various areas in the world would vote. You would send your curriculum vitae and then they would vote. I was voted in, and at the same time, my chief called me and gave me the title of Wakilin Kpop Ham to become his sole representative. I thought I could run away from that appointment, but they said it was an additional one, so I gave in.
I was called in to become a trustee representing Africa in the United Religions Initiative, which has its headquarters in San
Francisco. So I joined, and I am still a trustee. I worked for the first four years and was to go, but I was reelected to represent Africa. We were three that represent Africa in the United Religions Initiative. There is one right now in Malawi, Uganda and one here in Nigeria. We have about 104 countries that are in this organisation today. This is where I am serving now. I want you to note that I am able to serve there because of the experiences I gathered when I was a permanent secretary. Today, I am busier than when I was in service because I travel a lot. I am invited to different countries for different discussions, all centered on peace. I brought the Interfaith Mediation Centre (IMC) you see here to this organisation. I am a board director there. It has a sister organisation, the Women
Interfaith Council. And there are many others working very hard to let the world know about Nok culture and civilisation; and you know it is a very wide area. From Zaria up to Katsina is the geographical area called Nok. We want to use it to establish lasting peace within these geographical zones because we can use them to catch up with the establishment of permanent peace. And by God’s grace we hope to succeed. There are many things one can do to solve crisis.
Before I stop, I want to say that the almighty God, the owner of religion, created human beings to worship Him and enjoy living together. But what happened? Human beings have degenerated worse than animals. It is only a human being that will kill his kind willingly; animals don’t. A lion will never kill another lion just like that, even if he is fighting his wife. They will fight, but he will not kill. Why do we kill one another? It is very unfortunate. That is why we should educate one another on the need for absolute peace. Let’s live in peace as God wants it in spite of our diversity and the world will be happier.
How did you meet your wife?
Initially, I wanted to marry as soon as I graduated in 1971 because I brought my girlfriend with me from the university. She was also graduating and we were hoping to graduate and get married, but it didn’t work. Just six months before the graduation, we broke up after 6 to7 years of relationship. I felt it and even shed tears. At the end, one night God told me to get over it. So I graduated and worked for four years.
I went for a social gathering in a reverend father’s house in Fadan Kaje. They were teaching in Fadan Kaje and I was in Kagoro. It was there that I saw this girl, who was in company of other girls; and somehow, I was attracted to her. After some days, I went to her school and saw her and we developed interest in each other, and on December 1975, we decided to marry. When I asked why she liked me, the first thing she said was that I was very faithful. If I told her I was coming at a particular time, I would be there. She liked that because I would not fail her. Of course I told her why I liked her. It is also good for other women to learn. I was a bachelor, but anytime she visited me, the first thing she would do was go to the kitchen, clean it and cook; then she would go and check my dresses and pick dirty ones, including my underpants, and soak in water.
So you did not wait for your parents to choose a girl for you?
No. As a matter of fact, I presented two young women to my parents. They studied them and approved the one I preferred. So I married her and we are blessed with five children - two girls and three boys. We have eight grandchildren now. We thank God for that.
Did you participate in any sport in your schooldays?
I did the 4 by 400 meters relay. I did athletics, and later in life, I played squash. I left squash because of my knees. I came to play golf in 1992, and till now I have been playing golf. I reached 18 handicap matches, but when I was deteriorating, I dropped it and played 20. I have been off golf for about one year because of my knees, but I am getting stronger. I developed two holes in my farm, so I play two holes twice a day.
I was even given an award by the National Darts Association for maintaining that in this part of Nigeria. I trained people in Zaria, Kaduna; and Kafachan has been known to win trophies. I taught them the trophies, so we established the darts association. Anywhere they are playing dart around here now, as soon as I walk in, those who know me will sing for me because they acknowledge the card I played in establishing it.
The almighty God, the owner of religion, created human beings to worship him and enjoy living together. But what happened? Human beings have degenerated worse than animals. It is only a human being that will kill his kind willingly; animals don’t. A lion will never kill another lion just like that, even if he is fighting his wife. They will fight, but he will not kill. Why do we kill one another?