By Chris Paul Otaigbe
He has always been there but in the shadows and only those who may have had a one on one contact with him have seen and heard how who he is and what he sounds like.
He has rarely been seen in public or making public statements. The closest Nigerians of this younger generation got to hearing from him was the recent altercation between his daughter, Fatima and the first Lady, Aisha Buhari. It was a conflict that would have snowballed into a crisis. However, it did neither stained nor drain the flow of his relationship with his uncle and friend of over 70 years, Mohammadu Buhari.
His name and influence are better known and felt by politicians and business men who ply their trade globally. So, he is big deal among the elite, wealthy, influential and powerful Nigerians and perhaps across the sub region by virtue of being the man behind the most powerful President in the continent.
His 80th birthday was celebrated last month on October 10, 2019 amid glowing remarks and tributes from the many who know him and how powerful he is within the Buhari administration. It’s almost impracticable to celebrate Mamman’s birthday without bringing his relationship with Buhari into the story because, like Siamese twins, they have been through so much together, most of their Lives.
He is referred to as Buhari’s nephew and this would make many to wonder why that would be the case when Buhari would be celebrating 77th birthday, December 17. One sure way to know the depth of the personality of Mamman and his relationship with Buhari is to hear from his blood relations.
Usman Daura is the younger brother of Mamman and he gave an insight of who his elder brother is and his relationship with the President.
According to him, Mamman and Buhari come a long way right from their youth. They are so inseparable that they had to build their houses next to each other.
“If you go to the GRA (Government Reserved Area), where Mallam Mamman has his house in Daura, you will see that his building is next to that of President Buhari. That is how they have been all along. He built his house at GRA even before our father’s death. Our father died on October 3, 1993,” he said.
Even when President Buhari was the military Head of State in Lagos, they were together and when he was overthrown and thrown into jail by Ibrahim Babangida, Mamman was the one who stood by the Daura General.
For a relationship that has never waivered or reduce in intensity, only one factor could be responsible for the resilience in the strength of the Mamman-Buhari evergreen affair… That is, loyalty, sincerity and honesty.
Mamman Daura began his career as a journalist and businessman who was appointed editor of the New Nigerian newspaper a few months after completing his graduate degree.
A nephew and longtime close associate of Muhammadu Buhari, Daura finished secondary education at Okene Provincial School in 1956. He worked with the Daura Native Authority for a couple of years before joining the Nigerian Broadcasting Corporation as a programme assistant. From 1962 to 1968, he studied economics and public administration at Trinity College, Dublin.
In 1968, Adamu Ciroma, the editor of the New Nigerian was looking to recruit qualified and educated northern Nigerians for the newspaper. One of those recruits was Daura who was just finishing his degree in Dublin. Daura was hesitant to take the position when he returned to Nigeria but instead worked in the office of Abba Kyari, the military governor of North-Central State. In April 1969, he finally joined the staff of New Nigerian as the paper’s new editor.
The first two years of his stewardship was a focus on coverage of issues affecting Northerners and protection of northern interests. Daura later became the managing director of the paper’s holding company. When Murtala Mohammed‘s administration opted to take-over the ownership of the paper, Daura soon left the company.
Mamman, a nephew of the younger Buhari, was influential in the government of Buhari between 1984 and 1985. He was a board member of BCCI’s Nigerian affiliate, Africa International Bank and founded a furniture factory in Kaduna. He was also a former chairman of the now defunct Nigerian Bank of Commerce and Industry.
Today, he has a say, to a large extent, concerning corporate Nigeria…from behind the scene.
Mamman Daura does not particularly bring smiles to majority of Nigerians as their perception of him is that of a mafia don who holds court on matters that concern their Lives. They see him as the man behind the cabal that is running an alternative government whose agenda is antithetical to the Nigerian vision.
They believe he may be behind most of the Northern agenda that have further deepened the division of the country. So, the name Mamman elicits emotions that may not be favorable in the minds of the larger population of Nigerians.
Aisha Buhari’s public discomfort and declaration against the cabal running her husband’s government have not made his image any better before Nigerians who are hurting under the economic policies of Mamman’s uncle. The direction of her definition of the cabal’s arrowhead is Mamman and she has succeeded in winning the sympathy of Nigerians against this perceived Mafia in Aso Rock. Her latest clash with Daura’s daughter further battered the image of this most loyal and close confidante of Buhari.
Looking at the positive side, one would see a good man, loyal friend and true brother who would stand with you no matter the odds. A brother and friend who is there to cover you when you are naked. A friend who is always there to feed you when you are hungry and a shoulder to lean on in terms of adversity. That is the best way to describe the man, Mamman Daura.
Clearly, his relationship is the type we all pray to have to make a meaning of our existence and our life worth living. He is the friend we all seek and a pillar we can lean on to gain strength.
Some of the downsides of this kind of relationship is that when, at some point in our lives, we find ourselves in positions of wealth, power and authority, as we have in Buhari’s instance, such a friend may commit errors in our name and sometimes against our interests. At such times, we find ourselves being able to diminish such turbulence to a mere storm in a tea cup. Why…? Because, truly the love we benefit far outweigh the faults of such a person in our life. Love they say, forgives all sins.
Without a doubt, Buhari has found true love and trust in the man called Mamman. Little wonder that despite the crisis between his wife and the family of his closest friend, nephew and buddy, his relationship with Daura was not affected.
This is the man, in whom, our President finds strength and support.
Against this backdrop, one can understand Buhari’s perceived inability to call the Dauras to order despite the many calls for him to so do, because with a bond such as the one he has with Mamman, every other, regardless of how sensitive, takes a back seat.
