By Abdu Labaran Malumfashi.
29-11-2025.
THERE is a popular saying that, ‘It is not how long one exists in the world, but how POSITIVELY IMPACTFUL the life lived has been to humanity’. Shiekh Dahiru Usman Bauchi’s life has been both long, and IMPACTFUL to humanity. So many Islamic scholars have gone under his tutelage, and even more have been taught to MEMORISE the Holy Quran by him.
SHIEKH Dahiru was born in 1924 and died on Thursday, 2025 in Bauchi, the town he made more popular by bearing its name as his SECOND. Kaduna town was also his other hometown.
THE Governor of Bauchi State, Senator Bala Mohammed, will no doubt, have his hands full, as all roads will appear to lead to Bauchi town. Visitors will be coming from all parts of the country to CONDOLE with him, and possibly, the family of the deceased, especially the SUCCESSOR.
THE expected SUCCESSOR is usually the First Born of the deceased, and this time the person to step into the HUGE shoes left by Shiekh Dahiru is someone I do know, though it is NOT reciprocal. Not only has he made Katsina town his first home, he possesses an all round school, which however, lays emphasis on Islamic education. The school is located almost opposite the town’s ultramodern stadium.
IN any case, NOT a few of those going to Bauchi for condolence would be shedding CROCODILE TEARS. Happy they would be, that the HIGLY LEARNED ISLAMIC scholar has died, and the World Muslim UMMAH would be minus ONE of Its GREATEST.
ALL the same, being the politician that he is, the Bauchi state governor must receive all visitors for the condolence as being sincere, even if he thinks he knows otherwise. The top politicians, and some other so called important people around the world, who wish anything but well to their country (Nigeria) of birth, are simply hypocrites.
IT is to be noted that Sheikh Dahiru Usman Bauchi (RTA) devoted nearly 57 consecutive years to performing Hajj and Umrah, missing only two occasions throughout his active life time. It is a record unparalleled among Islamic scholars globally.
THE world renowned Shiekh dedicated nearly 70 years to delivering Tafsir (Qur’anic EXEGESIS), consistently offering deep insights into the Qur’an without interruption or signs of fatigue. And whenever he was advised to consider resting due to his advanced age, he always humbly respond: “I did not appoint myself to this task. The One who assigned it to me will relieve me when the time comes.”
SHIEKH Dahiru Usman Bauchi was the leader of the Tijjaniyya Sufi Movement, and a very influential ISLAMIC SCHOLAR in West Africa.
THE late Shiekh HAD never been one of the crowd that former President Olusegun Obasanjo called CONTRACTORS. He alleged that, “Whenever the MEN OF GOD came to the VILLA, I thought they came to offer PRAYERS, but they came as CONTRACTORS”.
SOME people may of course use his name for worldly gains, but the late Shiekh did NOT have to STOOP that LOW by visiting ‘HIGH PLACES’, his name always OPENED doors even in his ABSENCE.
BY the way, RIPE AGE did NOT in any way make the late Shiekh SENILE. He remained COHERENT up to his last minute, except for the very low voice that comes immediately before death. And that is NOT an unusual phenomenon at the time of death.
THE tardy ‘obituary’ of the REVERED Shiekh is due to the fact that I only became aware of his death late yesterday, as I was indoors incommunicado, because of some factors that NEED NOT be explained here.
THIS article is NOT, and should NOT be seen as a biography, or even a brief history of the HIGHLY LEARNED Shiekh, whom yours sincerely has NEVER met in person. I only know of him by his ISLAMIC INTIMIDATING REPUTATION.
MAY God make the death of the revered Shiekh Dahiru Usman Bauchi serve as a lesson to most of Nigeria’s leaders whose only desire is to accumulate wealth, even if NOT legally acquired. The leaders include those who would like to be referred to as ‘God fearing’, many of whom may jostle to be seen at the funeral and burial of the body of, or in paying condolence to the family of the deceased.
Malumfashi wrote from Katsina.
