Media Trust director Bello Damagum dies at 59
Amember of the board of directors of the Media Trust Limited, Alhaji Bello Damagum, who died at a hospital in Abuja, has been laid to rest in Kaduna. He was aged 59.
He died in the early hours of Wednesday at the Nizamiye Hospital in Abuja after a brief illness.
His remains were interred at the Bachama road cemetery in Kaduna at 2:30 pm yesterday after a prayer at the Sheikh Ahmad Algarkawi Mosque at Kinkinau area of Kaduna.
Damagum, who obtained his B.Sc. Accounting from Ahmadu Bello University (ABU) Zaria in the 1970s, worked with the defunct Nigeria Shipping Line before venturing into construction business with properties in Abuja, Kaduna and Kano.
He left behind 23 children, three wives, and many grandchildren. He also left behind an aged mother as well as siblings.
The younger brother to the late Damagum, Ambassador Umar Damagum, told Daily Trust on telephone last night that his elder brother had a premonition of his death.
“Frankly speaking, it's like he had a premonition of his death. For the last one, two months, he would call me about one or two issues about his house, the wedding of his daughter and some other family issues.
“He always emphasized that we have to put things in order. He would say 'you see I'm not well, and our mother too isn't well. In the last few days, he has been lamenting on some things. He told his children that he saw the illness as a terminal one," he said.
Ambassador Damagum added that his late elder brother was strong a religious person as he dedicated his life to Islam more than anything else.
"He was diagnosed in 2015, and he then started medication. He opted out of surgery. You know these days of medical advancement you would be given so many alternatives.
"But the illness became serious about three-four months ago. We went home for Eid el-Kabir and visited relatives. He was complaining bitterly about back pains, though I was the one that drove the car. Most of us didn't know about the illness until recently.
"When it became obvious for us to know, he said the last medication given to him when he went to London was giving him tough time, so he decided to discontinue. The plan was for him to go back there after his daughter's wedding, but Allah took him even before then."
"This is a big loss to us, because he has been the leader of the family since the demise of our father. This is the biggest loss we recorded since after our dad. He was the one giving the leadership, so it's like the head of the family has gone."
‘Damagum's death a colossal loss’
A former chairman of the Daily Trust Board of Directors, Malam Abdulmumini Bello, has described the death of Malam Bello Damagum, as a colossal loss to his family, friends, the Daily Trust family and the entire Muslim community.
Malam Bello told Daily Trust on telephone yesterday that "What happened is a real colossal loss to us, the family, friends, colleagues, neighbours, the Trust family and the entire Muslim community. He built a lot of mosques and did a lot. He took orphans and trained them to school up to the point of marriage. He assisted people educationally and helped others to get job."
He said as a businessman, Malam Damagum did all his businesses in accordance with Islam. "He also used his resources to the best of his ability to cater for his family and the rest," he said.
"As a director on the Board of Daily Trust, which we both served for quite some time, he contributed immensely to the development of the newspaper. He sacrificed a lot for the newspaper to become what it is today. He did a lot right from when the newspaper was Weekly Trust. He was very humble and unassuming."
Asked about his last moments with the late Malam Damagum, the former Daily Trust chairman said: "I went to Zaria about nine days ago to condole the Shafi'i family. On my way back, I stopped by at his house here in Kaduna. We're neighbours here and he assisted me to build my house here. I was told he wasn't feeling fine, so I visited him. I wasn't quite happy with the way I saw him.
"You know as a Fulani man, he was highly shy. He really didn't want people to know he was ill. I called him after a few days, but I was told the Minister of FCT directed that he should be taken to Nizamiye Hospital here in Abuja for proper treatment.
"The very day he was brought, I visited him in the hospital. I also went the following day, and he was feeling better. Nobody would have thought of death because he was very okay and could speak very well.
"But you know death is from God. I couldn't go to his place on Tuesday, only for me to see the text of his son-in-law early morning yesterday informing me of his death. He was cheerful and hopeful the last time I was with him."
FCT minister, Wazirin Fika, others attend funeral
Some of the dignitaries who attended the funeral prayers were the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Alhaji Muhammad Musa Bello, former Head of Service of the Federation, Alhaji Adamu Wazirin Fika, Alhaji Bello Yawuri, Prof. Auwalu Yadudu, traditional rulers, chairman board of Media Trust, Malam Kabiru Yusuf, Daily Trust Editor-in-Chief/Chief Executive Officer Mannir Dan-Ali and other directors of the company as well as top government functionaries.
Yadudu told newsmen after the interment that he remembered the late Damagum as a hard working entrepreneur, who was always in a hurry to complete tasks before him.
“We spoke last about eight days ago and as usual with him, he was snappy, to the point and that was it,” he said.
A former acting rector of Kaduna Polytechnic, Dr Aliyu Mamman, described the late Damagum as a straightforward person.
He said the late Damagum went about his work with speed and always made sure that due process was followed in whatever he was doing.
“He made sure that he was involved in community efforts and participated in Islamic activities and running Islamic organizations and interacted with people very well. The number of people at the funeral is a testimony to this,” he said.
The former acting rector recalled his last moments with the late businessman, saying, “We took him to Garkuwa Hospital Kaduna on Friday, then to Abuja the next day. On Monday, I called his immediate junior brother and told him to give him the phone. We spoke and he told me to liaise with his children to make sure the wedding of his daughter scheduled for this Friday takes place. That was the last thing he told me.”
Damagum town mourns
When Daily Trust visited the town of Damagum, where the deceased hails from, hundreds of people were at his country home to condole his relatives. Damagum is the headquarters of Fune Local Government Area of Yobe State.
Damagum’s younger sister, Amina Ilyasu, who could not hold back tears as she spoke to our correspondent, described the deceased as 'everything to our family.'
"He is an excellent human being who takes good care of everyone in the family. He is an easy going person, and ever willing to solve people's problem," she said.
She said Bello was generous not only to his immediate family but friends and everyone that comes his way.
Alhaji Ibrahim Daushe, one of his closest friends in the town, prayed for the repose of his soul.
"Before he left (the town) on December 24, 2017, he visited all his childhood friend houses, irrespective of their status. He told me that we would all clock 60 years in 2018, so we prayed and celebrated the anniversary in advance. Bello was a complete human being and he never forgets his friends no, matter your status.
"My last moment with him was when I visited paid him in Abuja. We went for (subhi) dawn prayer with him and he noticed that I did not put on my cap. Later in the morning, he came to me and said 'my friend, our status has passed the stage of appearing in mosque or public places without cap.' This still rings in my head.
"I received more than 1000 phone calls from friends and people that know us together with Bello. He has done everything for me," he added
His personal driver, Mohammed Sani, said the deceased was very religious and considerate.
"He considered me as his own brother, not a driver. He easily takes offence with you if he understands that you don't take good care of your parents or family because he doesn't play with his own.
"He is very religious and doesn't tolerate people that play with their worship. We will miss him."
Our correspondent observed that people condoled with each other on streets and public places in the town. The councillor, representing Damagum central, Abba Damagum, said "Bello was the first person that built a modern Islamiyya school in Damagum, he sent indigent students to study abroad on scholarship, provided many jobs for youths and helped the poor in terms of hospital bills and other financial supports,” he said.
He prayed to Almighty Allah to have mercy on him as he supported the lives of the poor and make Jannatul firdausi his final abode.