From the last Ramadan to this, death has scaled down my list of uncles and older cousins that deserve one material gesture or the other in a season like this by SEVEN. The departure, though painful, was not strikingly shocking as all of them lived beyond 60 in a country which life expectancy is at the abysmal 48.6 years. May their soul rest in perfect peace.
SANI ALHAJI GANDI
The person in blue in the picture attached to this post is Malam Sani Alhaji Gandi. The photo was snapped exactly 10 years now in 2004 during a sent forth to Aliyu Umar and other colleagues who left the services of Attahiru Bafarawa Institute for Qur'an and General Studies, Sokoto (Now, Sultan Muhammad Maccido Institute). Malam Sani was the Secretary to our Academic Staff Association at the Institute while Sani Suleman (in cap and kaftan) was the Chairman; Aliyu Umar (in white shirt) was the Treasurer and I (capless with kaftan) was the Vice Chairman. Mal. Sani as we generally call him was not as lucky in terms of longevity as my relations referred to above having parted in his early forties in the last week of May, 2014.
This unquestionably gentle fellow left Lagos for Sokoto to join other family members in grief for the loss of his uncle when he was shot by local armed robbers around Birnin Gwari, Kaduna State. Rushing him to hospital made little or no difference as, typical of Nigerian doctors and hospitals, he couldn't get any significant attention from the General Hospital he was first admitted. Referral to a military hospital in Kaduna given his status as an army officer was no use as he bled too much to survive.
My philosophy about longevity after observing the trend of death for not less than twenty five years now is that blameless people like Mal. Sani hardly live that long just as extraordinarily wicked people also rarely last. It is those in the middle position, a category that many of us fall, that live to the normal age of 60 and 70. Yes, the instance of people with special social mission to fulfil is sometimes exceptional. They are normally spared to deliver the promise vested in their life. An ancient Arab poetess, Khansa'u, partly shares this view in her eulogy saying "my problem with death is that it takes away the best people and live us with the ordinary". Mal. Sani was indeed beyond the ordinary.
I remember Mal. Sani for staying with him for more than ten years without witnessing him quarrelling with anybody. Even the corrective cane that we all held as teachers to scare stubborn students Malam never held as he knew how to talk to such children as if they were adult while we watch with surprise. He would not be forgotten for the beautiful songs learnt from him while singing them with our pupils. Mal. Sani was adorable for his exceptionally balanced command of English and Arabic Languages; thanks to attending my alma matter (College of Arts and Arabic Studies now Sheikh Abubakar Gummi Memorial College) in its days of glory. I cherish him for successfully uniting the two separate mosques in our quarters to become one. These and more made Mal. Sani so dear to us that his was the 'story' death to me for the year.
One interesting thing about death is that it is a destination that others arrived early only to wait for those of us delaying. I stand on the dual blessings of Ramadan and Jumu'at to seek Allah's mercy on the soul of our parents, grand parents, great grand parents, relations, children, teachers, friends. On the same footing I pray for those of us living to have a spiritually fulfilled end.
Peace and blessings of Allah be upon the Noble Prophet (SAW), his progeny, companions and those who follow his right teaching till the day of judgment.
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