I knew Shehu Musa 

I am sad to learn of the death, of the Makama Nupe, Alhaji Shehu Musa. I knew him as a very decent person, and a respectable public official. 

In 1980, during my first year as a journalist, I wrote a commentary on some area of the government that was critical of President Shehu Shagari. I was young and full of fire and energy. I had been in the trade for less than one year, during which I sold the idea for a syndicated column to be known as “The Presidency,” to our Managing Director, Mr. Sam Amuka. 

As sit worked out, the column became my second. And within two weeks, “The Presidency” attracted the attention of the presidency. 

The first alarm ought to have been that Mr. Amuka was at The Punch before noon, and on a Monday. He invited me to his office and told me he wanted me to see Alhaji Musa, the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), that day. And yes, it was in connection with my commentary. 

I told Mr. Amuka I did not have to see anyone, but he eventually persuaded me to meet with the SGF, with the understanding that I did not have to accept anything he said. 

And oh, said Mr. Amuka, what was I going to wear to the meeting? I was usually clad in jeans, a practice that was obviously not lost on the boss. 

I asked him what was wrong with what I was wearing. He told me that I could not very well meet with the Secretary to the Government of Nigeria dressed in jeans. 

I lost that battle too. And so, that afternoon, I showed up at the office of Alhaji Musa in a three-piece babanriga, complete with a matching cap. I looked like a member of the National Party of Nigeria (NPN). 

When I arrived, I was shuffled past the queue into the presence of the SGF. Among the people I had past: cabinet-level officials of the federal government, including both the Political and Economic Advisers to the President. I learned, right then, that the press did have recognition in our democracy. The press was a player! 

Once in the presence of Alhaji Musa, I realized I needed to take several deep breaths because I had come ready for battle. But before me was a soft-spoken man who was happy to see me. He was unassuming and comfortable with a journalist, and I was surprised he had such commendations about an article that was critical of his government. He made it clear he had asked to meet me not to compromise me, but to make it clear that should I have any questions, his and other doors into the government were open. 

He offered to introduce me to President Shagari, but I refused. I left the door ajar by telling him I might be interested in interviewing the man for the column later on, a check I never cashed. 

However, I maintained my contact with Alhaji Musa, who never seemed to remember he was one of our nation’s most powerful men. I did not find him to be arrogant or self-centred, and he never insulted me by dipping his hand into his pockets to give me “something for the weekend.” 

One day, he asked if I would help find employment for a young man. I reminded him he was at the apex of the federal civil service, the nation’s largest employer of labour. He replied that placing him in the civil service was not difficult, but that he would be setting a bad example. 

Coming from such a well-placed person, that was surprising. But when I thought about it, Alhaji Musa was an unusual Nigerian, and he was educating me too. So I told him that as long as his candidate was qualified or willing to work, I was on his side. 

Luckily, I was able to help the young man. I told Alhaji Musa that I had done it out of respect for his respect for principle, and because of his interest in people in general. He enjoyed discussing ideas, and it did not matter to him that a good idea was coming from his cleaner or houseboy. On one occasion, he sought advice from me on how to help a former houseboy of his gain further education and achieve his professional dreams. And he was willing to absorb the bills.  

When he left the government, I did not see much of him. Although he encouraged me to visit him at home, I preferred the occasional visit at his offices, particularly his private one at the foot of the Third Mainland Bridge in Lagos, where I sometimes hid from the debilitating traffic. 

I will remember Alhaji Musa for being a principled, patriotic and earthy Nigerian. He never seemed to place himself above the ordinary man, nor seek all the riches of our land. He could have been richer than anyone in his era, but materialism was not his weakness. He was at once at home with the powerful and the ordinary, and he believed in the responsibility of the civil service to resist the menace of politicians, whether they were civilian or military. 

I was glad to meet Alhaji Musa early in my career because the experience helped me appreciate that there were still people of character in the civil service, people who believed in our country. The irony is that he served at the head of the civil service at a time that Nigeria had been overrun by the National Party of Nigeria, which provided the blueprint for the current People’s Democratic Party on how to eat a country blind. 

It is not often that I mourn a public figure publicly. But the man who became Makama Nupe, and who turned down offers of chieftaincy titles all over Nigeria, deserves to be acknowledged on every tree top. 

Paraxodically, this remarkable Nigerian died in a foreign land. In my view, every time a top Nigerian dies abroad, or seems medical treatment abroad, there are at least two tragedies involved. 

Robot  # 1 | 07.12.2008 10:16

I knew Shehu Musa I am sad to learn of the death, of the Makama Nupe, Alhaji Shehu Musa.I knew him as a very decent person, and a respectable public official. In 1980, during my first year as a journalist, I wrote a commentary on some area of the government that was critical of President Shehu Shagari.I was young and full of fire and energy.I had been in the trade for less than one year, during which I sold the idea for a syndicated column to be known as “The Presidency,” to our Managing Director, Mr. Sam Amuka. As sit worked out, the column became my second.And within two weeks, “The Presidency” attracted the attention of the presidency. The first alarm ought to have been that Mr. Amuka was at The Punch before noon, and on a Monday.He invited me to his office and told me he wanted me to see Alhaji Musa, the Secretary to the Government of the Federati...Read the full article.

aguabata  # 2 | 07.12.2008 12:18

By being slightly coerced to meet the SSG and subsequently becoming friends while he was still serving will be wrong if it affected the fire in your criticism, finding out he is a nice gentleman and free of material corruption doesnt absolve him of incompetence if any. The journalist is mostly a flaw finder, you had no buisness in his office on his terms. Alhaji Shehu Musa's tactics of soft soaping is the classic northern brilliance. Was the guy you gave a job the best hand that applied for the job or is it the good old cronyism? My biggest suspicion with Nigerians is that most of them may make heaven because they genuinely dont know some of the things they do are wrong:rolleyes::rolleyes::rolleyes:

akuluouno  # 3 | 07.12.2008 13:43

I have not met the man but from what I heard from a Lecturer and mentor of mine who was at the top echelons of ASUU in the early 1980s when they were negotiating for the first USS, the man displayed a lot of brilliance during the negotiations. Indeed the lectuers left convinced that Shehu Musa floored them during the long and ardous negotiations. However, the Nigerian system is one river you swim in and not come out dry. As a result it is not impossible that he was tainted by the ugly values that xctize this system and on his death abroad, I know he may have likely been unconscious when he was bundled outside to die. I think our elites should always show the mettle they are made of before they die so that their good deeds are not rendered posthumously, just like Caesar Julius.:eek: In serious countries, the Jos crisis for instance presents a golden opportunity for statesmen to emerge, but this is Nigeria:rant:

forshow3  # 4 | 07.12.2008 16:15

but he did not know how to count?? but he falsified the census.

katampe  # 5 | 07.12.2008 21:07

If we weren't bothered about knowing Shehu Musa, possibly what would have mattered would have been how his tenure impacted Nigeria.I mean the decisions he made in economic and social terms, and how it impacted the country. I am not sure why you have chosen to use the public stage to influence people's opinion of the man. His private, or personal life is your own account, not ours. What matters to many is how he influenced decisions that affected each, and every Nigerian's bearing in life. Not some token association that lights no neigbhourhood, nor provides pipe borne water. We come of knowing the man not on critical matters but on sentimental grounds that does not account for his stewardship of a high profile office.

ttonjo  # 6 | 08.12.2008 04:03

< QUOTE=aguabata;297841>By being slightly coerced to meet the SSG and subsequently becoming friends while he was still serving will be wrong if it affected the fire in your criticism, finding out he is a nice gentleman and free of material corruption doesnt absolve him of incompetence if any. The journalist is mostly a flaw finder, you had no buisness in his office on his terms. Alhaji Shehu Musa's tactics of soft soaping is the classic northern brilliance. Was the guy you gave a job the best hand that applied for the job or is it the good old cronyism? My biggest suspicion with Nigerians is that most of them may make heaven because they genuinely dont know some of the things they do are wrong:rolleyes::rolleyes::rolleyes: Thanks aguabata, for brilliantly capturing my sentiments. In fact, you have actually revealed some of my thoughts. However, I want the whole world to know that, the writer cannot absolve the late Alhaji Shehu Musa, as part of the problems we are witnessing in Nigeria today. He was part of the worst and distratrous government Nigeria ever had, the puppet goverment of Alhaji Shehu Shagari, which was imposed on Nigerians in 1979 by General Olusegun Obasanjo, that repeated the same in 2007, with impunity that brought the present sidon look government of Alhaji Yar-adua. The same Alhaji Shehu Musa, was part of the people that rigged the 1979 general elections, with the likes of late Chief Abiola, Adisa Akinloye, Richard Akinjide (of the twelve two third fame), Maitama Sule, Alahi Umaru, Dikko, just to mention a few. Show me your friends, and I know the type of person you are. No decent human being with conscience should associate himself or herself with the above named heartless 'nation wreckers.' By the way, what was the personal achievement of the said hero of the writer, that average Nigerian could be proud of? After all, we are here today debating the credibility or otherwise of NR. However, I maintained my contact with Alhaji Musa, who never seemed to remember he was one of our nation’s most powerful men. I did not find him to be arrogant or self-centred, and he never insulted me by dipping his hand into his pockets to give me “something for the weekend.” Since when did the 'brown envelop' i.e. 'dipping hand into pockets,' otherwise known as bribe taking and giving, which is an open secret among Nigerian journalists, as an 'insult?':rolleyes::rolleyes::rolleyes:

allaccess  # 7 | 08.12.2008 10:22

=Robot;297802>I knew Shehu Musa I am sad to learn of the death, of the Makama Nupe, Alhaji Shehu Musa.I knew him as a very decent person, and a respectable public official. In 1980, during my first year as a journalist, I wrote a commentary on some area of the government that was critical of President Shehu Shagari.I was young and full of fire and energy.I had been in the trade for less than one year, during which I sold the idea for a syndicated column to be known as “The Presidency,” to our Managing Director, Mr. Sam Amuka. As sit worked out, the column became my second.And within two weeks, “The Presidency” attracted the attention of the presidency. The first alarm ought to have been that Mr. Amuka was at The Punch before noon, and on a Monday.He invited me to his office and told me he wanted me to see Alhaji Musa, the Secretary to the Government of the Federati...Read the full article. The articles displays a good example of someone Shehu Musa 419ed. Navy Lieutenant Wambai a close family friend of his attests to the fact he falsified the Nigerian elections on orders from Hausa/Fulani emirs and political chieftains. He has also done very deadly dealings with his most feared mate, IBB. A product of administrations that rid Nigerians of their well deserved basic necessities, I will like to know how much he was worth. Such is the problem of Nigeria that we are not only 419 but it is easy to 419 us in return; simply meeting a man like this and getting a rare "put on" behavior means we can sell him to all Nigerians as a good citizen. I have also met IBB shortly before applying for the NDA, in the office of director of army public relations. He was very friendly and down to earth. but sadly that is not the IBB we all know.

tonsoyo  # 8 | 08.12.2008 10:37

Sonala, A good man is not enough sir. IBB is a good man, he is nonetheless a self described "evil genius" who wrecked a great havoc in Nigeria. Shagari is a good man, he supervised one of the most inept governance Nigeria has ever wiitnessed, we are still paying the price. Obasanjo is NOT a good man, but he recorded some achievements for Nigeria. But he is still paying the price of his wickedness. It takes more than just good or bad to write your name in gold in public office. Shehu Musa was a failure, he came, he saw and unfortunate was conquered.

papas  # 9 | 10.12.2008 03:53

SO, You are someone I truly respect his efforts on behalf of the Nigerian people, but with this one, I don't understand again o!! Many of he commentators before me have said it all, so no need to add anything again. I can't believe you actually wrote this.