Encounter with Rakiya Atta Scott
Northern politicians had just concluded their meeting in Lagos with the Chief Minister of pre-independent Nigeria, Alhaji Abubakar Tafawa Balewa. A few were now gathered in the office of the Federal Minister of Land, Mines and Power, Alhaji Muhammadu Ribadu, with a number of northern bureaucrats, also part of the colonial administration. When it was pointed out by the Federal Minister for Social Services, Sir Shettima Kashim Ibrahim, that a decision had not been reached on a particular issue at their meeting, someone suggested that they “reach out to Kaduna” for clearance—an obvious reference to the Sardauna of Sokoto and Premier of Northern Region, who was president of the Northern Peoples Congress (NPC). Surveying his audience, Ribadu, (regarded as the defacto number three man in NPC) chuckled and said: “Ahmadu Rabah (putting emphasis on a name only he and perhaps a few others dared to address Sir Ahmadu Bello), “If some of us were not alive, he would probably claim to be a god.”
I know Nigeria is in the grip of an unprecedented pandemic that has not only brought out the best and worst in us but also threatens our future in so many ways. Sadly, some of the religious clerics have been reckless in their sermons that can only compound the challenge at a time they should be preaching the gospel of social distancing. Now that we are recording casualties and recognisable names are being put to the victims, it is evident that there are difficult days ahead. To compound the challenge, it would seem that when it rains in Nigeria, it actually pours. In a major setback for the war against insurgency that went practically unnoticed, dozens of soldiers (47 according to both Defence Headquarters and Aso Rock) were killed with scores injured on Monday by Boko Haram fighters, following an ambush near Gorgi village in Borno state. The insurgents who attacked our fighting troops from the rear were said to be heavily armed with rocket-propelled grenades and assault weapons. While I pray God to comfort the grieving families, that should compel introspection on the enormity of the danger confronting us as a nation.
Last Sunday, following an early morning meeting called by our pastor to brief workers on developments in our parish, an elderly man accosted me and said in an emotion-laden voice: “Eleyi ti won ni ka ma jade mo yi; se ebi ko lo ma lu ‘yan pa bayi?” (This one that we are admonished to restrict our movement, will one not die of hunger?). I understand the apprehension of the man. In a society where many families will not eat if they do not go out in a day and there is no safety net for the poor—as I pointed out in my tweeter engagement with @Biolakazeem and @DrOlusesan on Monday—there may be more deaths from deprivation if this crisis persists than from the actual virus.
I have in recent days received several messages, from the hilarious to the serious, on WhatsApp. A particular one sent to me by my brother, Matt Aikhionbhare is very instructive. It is credited to Filipino missionary and writer, Fr. Jerry M. Orbos SVD: “Let this COVID-19 outbreak cleanse, purify, and transfigure us all. How fragile life is, and how things can just change in an instant! How little are our achievements, possessions, and plans. Perhaps we all can become less proud, less selfish, and less materialistic in our thoughts, words, and actions.”
That should serve all of us, especially at a time like this when we need to support as many vulnerable people around us that we can. However, despite the fact that I can write a book on my experiences in the past one week and what they portend, as well as my fears regarding the road ahead, today I choose to divert the attention of readers away from Coronavirus. Instead, I want to share my encounter with Mrs Rakiya Atta Scott, which was like attending an advance history course on Nigeria. What I found fascinating was the lucidity, brilliant recollections and humour (including in a naughty sense) of a 93-year old woman. And as I listened, I gained a better understanding of events that shaped pre-independence Nigeria as well as the First Republic and the military era that followed. I also better understood how those events have conspired against our development as a nation.
As a devoted friend and admirer of the late Sardauna, Mrs Scott presented a picture of a North that is completely at variance with what obtains today. Our encounter left me with the inescapable conclusion that the traditional and political leaders that followed the first generation in that region lack the vision, passion and integrity that drove their predecessors. Sadly, we can say the same for the entire country. Candid, even brutal, while sometimes sympathetic in her assessments, it was delightful listening to Mrs Scott who never for once dissembled throughout our interaction. But like many Nigerians of her generation, Mrs Scott hinted that she would prefer to take what she knows about Nigeria to her grave (when eventually the bell tolls).
About a month ago, I received a call from the former Cross River State Governor, Mr Donald Duke. His excitement was palpable as he spoke glowingly about a friend of his mother he had recently re-established contact with. “After my chat with her, my first thought was, ‘Segun must meet this woman’. The information at her disposal, including confidential letters, official dispatches and personal correspondence of historical value dating back to the pre-independence era, are extraordinary...” The more Duke talked about this woman, the more excited I became about the prospect of meeting her. And on Friday, 6th March in Lagos, I met Mrs Rakia Atta Scott. But first, who is she?
Educated in Britain, Mrs Scott is the first qualified nursing sister in the entire Northern region and the daughter of the late Ibrahim Ichegudo Otaru, the first British appointed Atta of Ebiraland who died in 1964. The famous monarch was aptly described by one of his sons, Aliyu Ibrahim Atta, a former Inspector General of Police, as “a very successful polygamist who was blessed with 158 children.” Although he was forced to abdicate the throne in 1954 following disagreement with the Ebira Trade Union at the instigation of the British Colonial authority, the late Atta placed a great premium on western education and invested in it heavily for his numerous children.
Mrs Scott’s siblings include Judith Sefi Atta, a former Nigerian Ambassador and Minister; Abdulaziz Atta, Nigeria’s first Head of Service and Secretary to the Federal Military Government under General Yakubu Gowon; Mahmud Atta, Protocol Officer to the First Republic Premier of Northern region and former chairman of First Bank of Nigeria; Adamu Atta, Second Republic Governor of the old Kwara State (which includes part of the current Kogi and Niger states); AbdulMalik Atta, Nigeria’s first High Commissioner to the United Kingdom; Ado Ibrahim, the current Ohinoyi of Ebiraland and several others. Her late husband, Peter Giligan Scott, of whom she still speaks affectionately, was a British intelligence officer who worked as a colonial District Officer (DO) in Northern Nigeria.
At her home, Mrs Scott greeted her nephew, Kojo Claude Enin (son of her sister who married a Ghanaian) and Duke affectionately. She was warm towards me, although not before saying she fears journalists. But it helped that she had read many of my columns and confessed to enjoying them. When she began to speak, I was riveted. For instance, while recounting events of the January 1966 coup that shattered the peace of Nigeria and may be responsible for the mutual suspicions that now define our togetherness, Mrs Scott said her residence was close to that of Brigadier-General Samuel Adesujo Ademulegun, who was killed along with his wife. She actually heard the gunshots and watched as the soldiers left. She knew Kaduna Nzeogwu and some of the other coup plotters but what I found interesting about her account was a constant pushback on the notion that the late Major General Thomas Aguiyi-Ironsi (who became Head of State after the putsch) should be blamed for what happened thereafter. She spoke glowingly of Ironsi and was very defensive of him. She is still obviously close to northern military Generals of the era—from Gowon to T.Y. Danjuma to Ibrahim Babangida to the late Sani Abacha—just as she continues to relate well with former President Olusegun Obasanjo.
When a person attains a certain age, there is nothing to fear so she called everything as she saw it during our very informal chat. That is why it would be so interesting to have Mrs Scott document her story and the rich collection of documents that I have been told (and she indeed confirmed) are in her possession. Clearly, Mrs Scott expressed her disappointment with what Nigeria has become. While she retains affectionate memories of the late Chief Obafemi Awolowo and Dr Nnamdi Azikiwe, she believes that the late Sir Ahmadu Bello has been vindicated in seeking more time before independence for Nigeria. The late Sardauna, she argued, had a far more realistic assessment of Nigeria at the time than his peers, although she puts the blame for our woes on the current crop of political leaders for whom she has little regard. That was obvious throughout our encounter.
Pushed to share personal details by her nephew who obviously knows some of her stories, Mrs Scott refused the bait. But before I left she shared the story of a top northern public official who she claimed did all he could to woo her, without success. One day, a British colonial officer who had apparently been taking note met the two of them together and told the man: “If you pursue your assignment as diligently as you pursue Rakiya, this office will serve the people better.”
By some coincidence, the autobiography of the 83-year old younger brother of Mrs Scott and former Inspector General of Police was launched in Abuja last Thursday and I received a complimentary copy from a member of the family. Although poorly produced and could do with better editing, ‘Joy of Service’ is more about what was concealed than what is documented. And this is someone who was at critical places during momentous events in our national history. While Commissioner of Police in Rivers State between 1980 and 1983, Atta saw enough of politics in the state to draw conclusions as to how money and ethnicity play critical roles in the contestation for power in Nigeria.
Such individuals should be encouraged, for the benefit of posterity and future generations, to step forward and tell their stories. Sadly, one of the challenges of Nigeria is that we discount the past. Never allowing the scars to heal means they will continue to haunt us