Mallam Mamman Daura @ 80: In Praise of “Quite Power”

Having read a number of appreciated worthy tributes in celebration of life of the revered, respected elder Mallam Mamman Daura (MMD) at 80, my interest is largely academic. Are there some lessons from the life of the celebrated octogenarian for nation-building and society in general? Or to put it in the contemporary phrase of “what-is-therein-it-for-us”: what are the “takeaways” from the basic but core values of modesty, simplicity, non-attention seeking life style, contentment being the bedrock of the globally acknowledged achievements of Mallam Mamman Daura in cross-cutting challenging sectors that include journalism, industry and enterprise and significantly too silent statesmanship?

The late great African master story teller, global novelist and poet, Chinua Achebe (1930 2013) would undoubtedly be remembered more for his best literary mass translated works of fictions that include best seller tittles like: “Things Fall Apart”, “A Man of the People”, “No Longer At Ease” and Antihills of Savannah”, “Girls at War” among others. But the point cannot be overstated that a wholistic appreciation of Chinua Achebe must include his impeccable political credentials.

He was as much a progressive progressive political activist no less a political theorist. In terms of political praxis, Achebe was a progressive politician at the time it was truly revolutionary and audacious to be one. Mr. Achebe was a former Deputy National Vice President of the People Redemption Party (PRP) in the second Republic. The last custodian of PRP politics of alternative, Alhaji Balarabe Musa confirmed that Mr Achebe was a partycard carrying member until death in 2013. His last major controversial work: entitled ‘There Was A Country: A Personal History of Biafra (2012) was actually unapologetically political and identity partisan. However in appreciation of some lessons from the life of Mallam Mamman Daura at 80 , most relevant political literature of Achebe here is the small engaging intervention pamphlet entitled: “THE PROBLEM WITH NIGERIA (1983). It opens with “Where the Problem lies”: “The Nigerian problem is the unwillingness of its leaders to rise to the challenge of personal example, which is the hallmark of true leadership”. Two tributes on Mallam captured my imagination. Having read the moving tributes of both Simon Shango “The Mamman Daura I know” Daily Trust Oct 17, 2019, and his daughter Fatimah Mamman Daura November 09, it’s time we revisited leadership discourse in Nigeria. Certainly leadership crisis persists as much as it was when Achebe agonized about it in the 80s.

But as I have pointed out in varying interventions on the national crisis, Nigeria is not short of good leaders any day, any time (irrespective of their idealogical callings!) even as at the time Achebe wrote. Of course the search for ideal leadership must continue for an ideal nation. What we possibly need is to pause a bit in this race for idealism. Let’s acknowledge and celebrate good leaders even as much as we dam those who fall below national expectations. Secondly we must go beyond the visible leaders to the invisible ones. Ben Okri, the great poet (A Way of Being Free) once wrote about “the Greater the Visible Order, the Greater the Hidden Disorder”. May be it’s time we dug into the Greater Invisible to unravel some great leaders. Susan Cain is the author of “Quite Power” ( 2016). According to her (and I agree) “leadership doesn’t require being highly social or attention seeking. I believe that the time has come to focus on the power of the quiet leaders. The most effective leaders are not motivated by a desire to control events or to be in the spot-light. They are motivated by the desire to advance ideas and news ways of looking at the world, or to improve the situation of a group of people. These motivations belong to introverts and extroverts alike. But you can achieve these same goals – you can be inspiring and motivational – without compromising your quiet ways”.

In a country of ineffective shouting leaders, (leaders from the roof tops and live television coverage!) Susan’s observation is very timely. And there is no better time than now when, for once at 80, we are privileged to have an insight into the true profile of Mallam Mamman Daura as distinct from the fictions according to social (sorry: lousy media). Again the facts are verifiable. Witness this:” He was born on the 9th of November, 1939 in Daura. He had his basic education at the Katsina Middle School and Secondary Education at the Government College, Okene. In the late 1950s, he was sent to the UK for higher education by the then Northern Regional Government as part of a small cohort of brilliant young northern men chosen by the late Sardauna of Sokoto, Sir Ahmadu Bello. Malam Mamman Daura studied English Language, English Literature, Latin and British Constitution at Advanced Level at Bournemouth College. He was then admitted to the elitist Trinity College, Dublin (The Irish equivalent of Oxbridge) and received a Bachelor’s degree in Economics and Politics and a combined Masters degree in Public and Business Administration. He returned home and joined the mainstream civil service. He subsequently moved to the New Nigerian Newspapers as Editor and eventually becoming its Managing Director”.

November 20th, last Wednesday was Africa Industrialization Day (AID) as declared by United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO). Coming at the time of the birth day of Mallam, it’s time we acknowledged his exceptional contribution to value addition, beneficiation and Industrialization in Africa, not just Nigeria. Again witness the list “he set up a private industry – The Kaduna Furniture and Carpets Company (KFCC) which was at one time the largest furniture manufacturing company in West Africa .... was a key driver of the northern Nigerian industrial revolution of the late 1970s and 1980s; with local and international partners and investors – setting up and managing the following industries: Kaduna Aluminium Ltd, Kaduna Machine Works, Boots Nigeria Ltd, United Nigeria Textiles Ltd (UNTL), Funtua Textiles (FTL), Arewa Textiles, Nortex and Finetex. He was at various times a director or board member, managing director or chairman of Hagameyer, Dunlop, African International Bank and APICO Insurance. He also played a key role in the management of the Northern Nigeria Development Company (NNDC), Nigeria Television Authority (NTA) and AlHuda Huda Printing Press”. In all the above companies, not less than 500,000 direct and indirect jobs were once created for many families. With landmark achievements of Mallam as stated above, may be we should rather stay bind to some trash in the social media rather than agonizing over them. Wishing happy worthy years of value addition for Mallam, especially in reviving the textile industries in Nigeria.