Tragic End Of Rimi — Ajayi Memaiyetan   

Published on July 21, 2010 by TheNEWS   ·   2 Comments

Ajayi Memaiyetan

The tragic end of acclaimed Limamin Canji (Apostle of Change), Alhaji (Dr.) Muhammadu Abubakar Rimi as a glamorous politician of his era is not a pleasant story for me to write as his friend and professional colleague of more than 45 years standing.

Rimi had just been released from Kano Prison after his attempt to contest election into the House of Representatives on the platform of Northern Elements Progressive Union, NEPU, when he moved to Lagos to join the Federal Ministry of Information as an Information Officer. My humble self at that time, moved from Nigerian Tribune, Ibadan I joined at the age of 19 in 1961 to the Daily Sketch established by the West Regional Government under the Premier, Chief S.L. Akintola at the Investment House, Lagos.

We met on assignment and he told me stories about the North. Our relationship continued until I moved to Kaduna in 1965 because of the Western Region crisis to join the New Nigerian.

There was no contact again until my arrival from Kenya late in 1968, where I undertook a Journalism course at the University of Nairobi under the sponsorship of Rockefeller Foundation of America through International Press Institute, IPI. It was around that time that Rimi had a stint with BBC, London.

We ran into each again when he came to Kano on leave. Rimi had served as Press and Cultural Attache of Nigeria Embassy in Egypt and later became secretary to the Nigerian Institute of International Affairs, NIIA, before finally returning to Kano to prepare for the Constituent Assembly that put together the 1979 Constitution. I was already practising in Kano while trying to organise Nigeria Union of Journalists, NUJ. The first governor of the state, Commissioner of Police, Alhaji Audu Bako did not give NUJ a Press Centre but Col. Sani Bello who replaced him after a coup did that. Rimi would address a press conference at the centre without being able to pay his bill but most of the time, I allowed him to go by telling my colleagues he could become a governor. He ended up becoming a governor when he re-launched his political career on the platform of the progressive Peoples Redemption Party, PRP, led by Malam Aminu Kano. He was later elected the first civilian governor of Kano State in 1979 on the platform of the party which was an off-shoot of NEPU, founded by my uncle, the late Malam Bello Ijumu.

Our friendship blossomed as we exchanged visits. I would be at his Gidan Akidan residence for hours while he would be with me at Kundila Estate with the late Malam Shehu Abdullahi Umar––a diehard Aminuist and lecturer at Bayero University. Because of the late Malam Bello Ijumu, I was closer to the late Malam Aminu Kano than any other poltiician of his era despite the fact that Rimi was an old friend.

Rimi as a graduate of Malam Aminu Kano school of Political Thought loved the Talakawa (the poor) and talked tough with arrogance against those not in favour of Talakawa as a leftist. He did not suffer fools gladly when it came to parting with money. He was tight-fisted but he loved to assist the poor not financially. He loved the people and himself.

Rimi started well in 1979 immediately he was elected governor of Kano State. The cancellation of Jangali (Cattle Tax) and Harajji (Community Poll Tax) by Kano and Kaduna governments was already a PRP programme promised during political electioneering campaign. A good orator with amazing intellect, bold with a razor-sharp tongue, Rimi lambasted his opponents particularly the Shehu Shagari Presidency as he wished.

When Malam Aminu Kano advised him to take caution, he turned the table against the Malam by branding him a “sell-out”. Left with only Hausa orators like the late Senator Sabo Bakin Zuwo, Alhaji Musa Musawa and Dr. Junaid Mohammed to challenge Rimi’s sound bytes, repartees, analogies and metaphors against his political father and mentor, things fell apart in the PRP leadership. Rimi formed an all-graduate cabinet after rejecting the nominations of Aminu Kano as the party leader. That was the beginning of the end. He used his education and political skill in manipulating the situation and became the opponent’s nightmare. Critics called him a basket-mouth. Rimi started to call Malam Aminu Kano unprintable names. He moved ahead and wanted to hijack the leadership of PRP. Through his own faction, Santsi earlier named “Eagle PRP”, with majority of PRP state and federal lawmakers behind him. The move fell apart when the Federal Electoral Commission, FEDECO failed to recognise Aminu Kano’s leadership.

Rimi was expelled and the courts upheld his expulsion from PRP. No single story came out from me as a journalist who reported the whole episode without adding: “Rimi, the expelled PRP Governor of Kano State.” Few months to another election, Malam Aminu Kano died. He was reported to have left a “WILL” stating that Rimi must not be allowed to get near his dead body.

Before then, Rimi had fallen out with Progressive Peoples Alliance, PPA, of UPN, GNPP and PRP governors––one of the reasons for his expulsion from PRP. He lambasted Chief Obafemi Awolowo, leader of UPN who initially backed him in his rebellion against Malam. He forecast that Awo would never realise his life ambition to become president of Nigeria. Rimi resigned as governor to join Chief Nnamdi Azikiwe’s Nigerian People’s Party NPP. Chief Awolowo visited Kano to mourn the departure of Malam from this planet and was accorded a good reception. Chief Azikiwe also came but through the Government House. He was attacked in company of the deputy governor, Alhaji Dawakin Tofa that followed him when Zik made a U-turn. The stampede at the Gwammaja residence of Malam Kano was better seen than described. Rimi spoke contemptuously of Malam by deriding his doctorines and pouring scorn on him.

As a politician in the spirit of bigotry and prejudice he had a disposition to persecute through barbed or sarcastic words, forgetting that words can sometimes wound more deeply than swords. Three incidents must be recalled during his reign as governor. The first was the burning of churches in 1980. While on an inspection visit to the scene, Rimi asked whether the churches had approved Certificates of Occupancy, C of Os. The question stood on the nerves of the then chairman of Christian Association of Nigeria, CAN, the late Pastor Victor Musa of ECWA who replied him in anger: “Have you issued one since you came to power or you don’t want Christians here so that we can all move out of your state.” Rimi quickly calmed him down that Kano was part of Nigeria and as such the question would not have arisen.

The second was a few weeks later when non-indigenes were sent out of government secondary schools. Mostly affected were children born and bred in Kano. Bad press had prompted him to invite me to the Government House to ask whether my own children were affected so that he would order their return. I replied that I was only protesting in the interest of other Nigerians as nationalists whose parents paid taxes in Kano and should not be denied of education.

The third incident that will remain fresh in my memory was in 1980 when the Maitatsine Islamic sect led by Mohammed Marwa struck, leaving blood and tears in its trail. The Military put down the revolt after the police failed. A reporter of the Daily Times, Tunde Amao lost his life. Rimi sarcastically told the newsmen that there were two Maitatsines in Kano – an innuendo casting aspersion on  the late Malam Aminu Kano. The Justice Anthony Aniagolu public inquiry however revealed that Rimi dined and wined with the sect leader at the Government House and was aware of Marwa’s satanic existence. For the first time in my life as a journalist, Maitatsine stories for two weeks were made front page lead of Nigerian Herald newspapers of which I was the Bureau Chief.

Rimi directed his supporters not to read the Nigerian Herald again. That made the newspaper to sell 8,000 copies daily – a circulation figure that had not been reached by any publication in Kano. It was at the time I stumbled on my press cutting files by Sully Abu, Rimi’s famous press secretary at the Government House. While other newspapers were yet to fill a file, Nigerian Herald was filling its fourth file. That forced me to poke a joke at Sully Abu: “You don’t read Nigerian Herald here but you eat and digest it.” The joke caused a big mirth amongst the pressmen present.

Rimi as a journalist knew the use of the media, the very reason why he established CTV 67 now Abubakar Rimi Television, ARTV, and the Triumph Publishing Company, which he used to poke fun at opponents. Radio Kano programme named Zamanin Riga was turned to “Zamanin Hauka” by his opponents because of frequent attacks on them. Hauka, literally means madness.

The radio station was later attacked and the state government sacked in July 1981 for three days when angry mobs defended the Emir of Kano, Alh. (Dr.) Ado Bayero who had been sent a query by Rimi. He lost his special political adviser, Dr. Bala Mohammed in that incident. We fought as unionists for May 1 free workers’ day through Rimi’s administration before the FG followed suit. Rimi’s action prompted me as the then chairman of Kano State NUJ to give him an award being a journalist himself. The youths started copying Rimi’s mannerism by wearing designer clothes, caps and semi-sandal shoes. His brand of dress was in vogue, even when he joined APP of Dr. Azikwe, he started the wearing neck beads.

As a Yoruba traditionalist and blackist, who had always worn my beads peacefully on danchiki and buba, I ran into problems when wearing of beads by Hausa men became a fashion.

The newspaper vendors partook in wearing beads and my former Kundila Estate neighbour, now governor of Jigawa State, Alh. Sule Lamido – an arch Santsi leader – was always showing me his new set of beads.

Anyway, I had a ready made answer to ward off their cultural invasion by reminding them that they were bastardising Hausa culture, because only Hausa women wore beads. Rimi lost the election to return to the Kano Government House when Bakin Zuwo, with little education won on the platform of PRP. That made the new governor to appeal to Kwara State Government to release me on secondment to the Kano State Government-owned Triumph Publishing Company as Managing Editor in 1983 to curtail the propaganda of Rimi. Our paths did not meet again until the Military Tribunal jailed him and Senator Sabo Bakin Zuwo for misappropriation of public funds and both were sent to Benin Prison.

Rimi would not leave the sight of the tribunal judges until he unleashed venom on them that “if you escape judgment on earth you would not escape before Allah.”

In the prison at Benin, I made sure I sent kilishi (dried meat) to him and Bakin Zuwo because I knew it was their favourite stuff. Bakin Zuwo was first discharged from prison and was given a red carpet welcome. His first public talk was that there was no more enmity between him and Rimi. When Rimi himself came back, Santsi and Tabo became one and bitterness disappeared as we all tried to become apostles of Malam Aminu Kano once again.

We met again during the primaries of Olu Falae as the presidential candidate of Social Democratic Party, SDP. Rimi changed his name to Auwalu Falalu which made him to win Kano by the joint efforts of former Santsi and Tabo which contributed to the defeat of General Shehu Musa Yar’Adua – elder brother of the late president – in the SDP primaries. Abiola later joined the presidential race on the platform of SDP. In company of MKO, we visited Rimi for solidarity as an SDP chieftain but Rimi was nowhere to be found. MKO later settled with him and Abiola returned to be welcomed with open hands by Rimi. MKO defeated the presidential candidate of National Republican Convention, NRC, Alh. Bashir Tofa in Kano as a result of mass mobilisation.

Our point of departure again was after Rimi dumped MKO saying he did not join politics because of him when he accepted to be  Minister of Communication. MKO was in detention while we battled outside to actualise his mandate as president. Rimi and Lamido dumped SDP.

Lamido was the National Secretary of the party with Anthony Anenih as chairman when they crossed to support the military that cancelled MKO’s election after Gen. Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida stepped aside.

Rimi was a member of G34 that formed Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, but as a man who changed positions whenever he thought it fit to do so, he later moved out with the former Vice-President, Atiku Abubakar, to Action Congress, AC. He could not deliver a seat for the AC because he was already perceived as a fickle-minded politician who changed camps at will. Rimi returned again to PDP where he was demystified as a strong politician by Engineer Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, first PDP governor of the state who was defeated by ANPP.  Rimi’s death was a lesson in the storm-tossed sea of pain and suffering .He now remains the most misunderstood in the political history of Kano State.

A brief examination of his life as painted in this write-up illustrates the dynamics of misunderstanding. He endured being misunderstood. One may not grow fully or completely without being misunderstood. Rimi may have groaned and it made him to grow.

As an enigma, his associates, family and friends who spent much time in his presence and knew him more closely than others at times misunderstood him. Now that he has fallen victim of the evils of Talakawa as a defender of the dregs of the society. Rimi will ever live in the hearts of his friends and foes, because the consciousness of his greatness was the secret of his action for the fact that only the great can afford to stoop. Rimi must be immortalised. May the soul of Limamin Canji rest in perfect peace (Amen).The Limamin Canji

– Prince Ajayi Memaiyetan, a veteran journalist, was Rimi’s friend of 45 years.

Tags:  Chief S.L. Akintola at the Investment House, Daily Sketch, Muhammadu Abubakar Rimi, NEPU, Nigeria Union of Journalists, Nigerian Institute of International Affairs, NIIA, Northern Elements Progressive Union, NUJ, West Regional Government