We all agree that he was a good man. Umar Musa Yar'adua. All of us. Not only those of us who admired his humility and grace, but even those who had spent the last few years excoriating him, making a living from their unrelenting criticism of his policies and uncharitable mockery of his state of health-.They all agree that he was an extremely rare specimen. An honest, fair and upright leader of men who stood out in stark contrast to the thieving political elite who apparently surrounded him.
In fairness, Umar Musa Yar'adua came into our consciousness in the year 2000 when he spearheaded the so-called “introduction" of Shari'ah into law in Katsina State, where he was then governor. The formalization of Shari'ah structures in Katsina made it only the fifth Northern State to do so, but it emphatically put paid to the hopes of traducers who had sworn that the Shari'ah
"euphoria" would soon "fizzle out".
You may recall that in the face of the scare mongering, the politicisation, indeed the dissipation of spineless lies and blackmail that greeted the “Shari’ah movement", Yar'adua and his colleagues stood firm. Yes, some were concerned at the supposedly tentative approach Shari'ah implementation in some of the Northern States (including Katsina) which gave the impression that these governments seemed more concerned with placating non-Muslims than with ensuring that Muslims got all that they deserved in Shari'ah implementation; but it is to Yar'adua's credit that the mature disposition of his government fostered a peaceful environment for the good of all. We will recall his position then that the people of Katsina had lived with Shari'ah for hundreds of years and therefore that its expansion was not deserving of extravagant celebration (as in some of the other States), while assuring non-adherents of their safety and security.
Remember the case of Amina lawal? Who could have thought that the Governor of the State which sentenced a woman to death for adultery based on Shari'ah law would one day govern the same country they called a “secular state"?
Yes, those days were a euphoric era for conscious Muslims in Nigeria. We dared hope that with the Yar'adua generation of leaders had emerged a new crop of leadership who were willing to ensure that the state recognized, preserved and protected the rights of Muslims to be governed by the only legal system that their way of life recognized. It was an era which promised to showcase the best administrative acumen amongst Muslim political leaders, and we dared hope that a proper framework would be laid for the development and growth of the region, guided by the highest moral values that the Shari'ah represents.
Even Muslims outside the north darer, hope that someday, their own State Governments would also develop the spine to implement the full complement of the Shari’ah has they are entitled to-do, Well, even if our hopes of social transformation have not yet materialized, the Shari'ah has not fizzled out in the North, and those of us in the South are still hoping for its implementation.
Since his death, much has been written about his Simplicity, his humility, his character, his “profound personal decency and integrity (and) deep commitment to public service" (quoting the American President). So it would be. Nobody speak sill of the dead, do they? But regardless of their crocodile tears, we are justifiably proud that in striving to live up to the principles of the Islamic way of life, he stood out amongst the rabble and sought to exemplify the basic traits that we, as Muslims should normally live by.
We would recall, with some nostalgia, but also with pride, that it was Umar Musa Yar'adua who brought the term "servant leader" into currency. Never mind that the term was soon warped by charlatans who quickly coined pedestrian terms such as “Chief Servant" and "Servant-in-Chief" to satisfy their large egos whilst paying lip service to the ideal. Did they know, as Umar Musa Yar'adua apparently did, that servant leadership is a construct in which the leader is obliged to put the people first, knowing that leadership is a sacred trust; that he will soon give account, if not to men, but most definitely to Allaah on the Day when his own limbs would give account against him.. Yes, we acknowledge that many promises were not fulfilled, but it is in the confidence that the man evidently did his best that we pray that Allaah forgive him his shortcomings and reunite us with him in Al-jannah.
We would also recall that when he declared his assets after becoming president in 2007, it was such an oddity that it became an international news item. Never mind that the laws that our "Chief Servants" pretend to govern by actually stipulate that all public office holders must make such declarations before assuming office and after leaving it. Yet, that wasn't his first time. He did the same eight years before when he first assumed office as governor in Katsina State.
When he acknowledged that the elections which brought him into office were flawed, even those of us who did not believe in the political system were impressed, though not really surprised, going by his antecedents. When he ignored cynical tripe against his “arranged" marriages for his daughters, we were justifiably moved by the spectre of a man who would not permit the trappings of the highest political office stand in the way of his fulfilling a father's fundamental obligation to his daughters in an era where anything goes.
It may be ironic, but some of the more Significant tributes that we would pay to Umar Musa Yar'adua will not be taken from his last posting, but from the earlier stages of his life and times. We pity those whose unhealthy fixation with his health and family permitted them to mercilessly weave calumny into public discussions about the events surrounding his last day son earth. We mock at those who believe that they have reaped a bounty from his apparent misfortune. We ignore them, because the lofty heights that Umar Yar'adua attained in our hearts was secured, not by the political offices he occupied, not even the mere fact of his having occupied the highest political office in the land, but by the simple acts of humanity that he demonstrated, without even seeming to make an effort.
What lesson is there in this for the rest of us? That the title of our book, the words for our virtual epitaphs are not guaranteed to come from the last chapter of our lives but that people may well prefer to remember us more for the things that we did much earlier in life, when we did not even imagine that our end was insight. If we intend to make a difference, the time is now.