Remembering a great teacher, by Jibrin Ali Giginyu
In September 1982, about 230 of us from different secondary schools across the old Kano state (now Kano and Jigawa) arrived at Science Secondary School Dawakin Kudu to complete the remaining three years of our secondary education.
Our admission followed successes at the competitive Science Secondary Schools Entrance Examination conducted for form two indigene students in all the secondary schools in the state by the then Kano State Science Secondary Schools Management Board. The board at that time managed the only two Science Secondary Schools at Dawakin Kudu and Dawakin Tofa.
When we arrived, we met a set of highly dedicated, resourceful and competent teachers. Many of them were expatriates notably from the UK, India, Pakistan, Canada and Ghana. There were also teachers from southern part of the country and a few from the state. The laboratories and all teaching facilities were of excellent standard. In addition, we were provided with latest textbooks.
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At the helm of affairs of this very organized and impressive citadel of learning was Malam Mustapha Ibrahim. He was nicknamed Khaki by the students because of his rigidity on wearing only white khaki as school uniform to ensure equality and uniformity among all the students. He was also nicknamed Boss probably because of his regimental approach to discipline.
He was very strict as regards compliance to rules and regulations. Malam Mustapha provided the required leadership for the staff to perform their work diligently and effectively. Even as students, we noticed staff motivation strategies such as tea availability in the staff room among others.
Malam Mustapha was an embodiment of hard work, selfless service and discipline whose desire for outstanding results was glaring and unwavering. This passion made him to galvanize the school to record several feats in academic excellence such as in quiz and debating competitions at both state and national levels.
Malam died on Thursday 16th May, 2025 after a protracted illness. His students received the sad news of his death with grief. However, with total submission to the will of Allah (SWT). It is indeed a great loss of a father and mentor.
The late Malam had the opportunity to head one of the celebrated public secondary schools in Nigeria, Science Secondary School Dawakin Kudu from May 1981 to May 1987. He led with a sense of conviction, commitment and faultless zeal. He was the longest serving principal of the school in its 48 years history. The school under his able leadership fashioned the enabling environment required for students’ intellectual and personality development.
Under his dynamic leadership, academic excellence was prioritized while at the same time he did not relax in inculcating discipline. He in fact, instilled in his students the philosophy of hard work, resilience, honesty and obedience to constituted authority. One of his common slogans was, ‘discipline is more important than academic performance’.
Under his watch, teachers’ absenteeism or late-coming to classrooms were unknown. Monthly tests were conducted and organized just like the normal end of the term examinations.
Core-curricular activities were very common. Hardly a weekend passed without one activity or the other. School debates, English or Hausa drama, educational film shows, weekend musical/dancing sessions, lectures from Islamic scholars and career talks among others were regular.
During such events, sometimes neighboring schools were invited, especially Government Girls Secondary School Kura, Government Secondary School Rano and Government Junior Secondary School Dawakin Kudu. Sport facilities were equally available. Students had options to belong to different clubs and societies thus serving as an opportunity for networking and leadership training at a young age
Moreover, members of Dawakin Kudu community were regularly invited to attend some of such activities organized by the school to strengthen school-community rapport.
During the end of the term activities, we were once taken to Dawakin Kudu community where we carried out environmental sanitation exercise at the community market, house of the District Head, Jumuat mosque, Health Centre and rehabilitation centre.
Malam Mustapha was creativity personified where he introduced several initiatives that tremendously helped in the cognitive and behavioural development of his students and the teachers as well. For instance, students and teachers’ talk were introduced. During school morning assemblies, Monday to Thursday, some days were allocated for students to choose a topic for presentation during the assembly. It was the same with the teachers.
This served as a training ground for research as both (students and teachers) sometimes needed some data to support their presentations, therefore had to look for materials for such information and data. At the same time, it helped in skills development in relation to the art of public speaking.
Another area worth remembering Malam Mustapha’s leadership style was his treatment of students with equality with no preferential treatment to students based on parental background. It was therefore not surprising that whenever presence of parents or guardians of students was sought by the school authority as regards disciplinary issues, we saw top government officials and high-ranking traditional rulers physically at the school.
Observably, while students feared Malam Mustapha, yet he was approachable and responsive to their legitimate demands. For example, a student once sent a letter privately to him, questioning the rationale for some school policies. One, why students’ parents and guardians were not allowed to see their wards during visits on weekends. Two, why students were not allowed to own radio sets, considering the need for them to monitor happenings in the country and around the world.
In his response during a school assembly session, he first acknowledged the letter he received from one of us. He justified the reason why the school did not allow parents and guardians to meet with their wards during visits on weekends when most teachers were not available.
He argued that the school was encouraging parents and guardians to visit their children during school working hours so that they will meet with the teachers and discuss moral and academic matters relating to their wards. This he said would foster strong ties between the two and also enable the parents to have a complete picture of their children’s academic progress, behaviors and conduct.
He further explained that students were not allowed to own radio sets to avoid distraction from their studies. He however announced a relaxation of the policy that students could own transistor radio for listening to news and with a caution that it must not be bastardized.
Those who later found themselves in management positions in work places, realized that such actions to that situation were good leadership qualities. They centre around responsiveness and respect to team members’ views and flexibility as regards decisions when there are cogent reasons.
In our final year under his leadership, Malam Mustapha was worried with disciplinary issues emerging among us. He once, expressed fears of how the outcome of our General Certificate of Education (GCE) would be. He however had a sigh of relief. He was extremely amazed and glad as Science Secondary School Dawakin Kudu in 1985 recorded an outstanding performance. It emerged as the second-best school in Nigeria with Queen’s College Lagos taking the first position. Interestingly, two students from Dawakin Kudu were the best students in the WAEC conducted GCE in the country in the year. Sunday Triumph Newspaper in November, 1985 carried a special features report on this milestone.
In recognition of the tireless efforts, hard work and commitment of Malam Mustapha, the state government appointed him as the Executive Secretary of Kano State Science and Technical Schools Management Board where he continued with his good work thus extended his impact to more schools and students in the state. He later served as Director Kano Education Resource Department. The department serves as the academic and non-academic planning hub for all educational activities of the state. He retired while serving on this post.
He later pursued a career in the banking sector. He rose to a senior management position at the Union Bank before his retirement. In retirement, he established a private school Mustapha Ibrahim Academy at Naibawa quarters as a sign of his passion for educational development of the society.
Our class chapter Kano State Science Secondary Schools Old Students Association (KASSOSA) Dawakin Kudu Class 85’ and some other class chapters were in contact with the late Malam until his death. He was kept informed of progress made by his ex-students in their various professional callings.
His death came just a month to a planned KASSOSA Dawakin Kudu Class 85’ Annual General Meeting and fortieth graduation ceremony with an idea of honouring him together with other teachers in recognition of their enormous role in shaping our vision at formative age.
The positive imprints he left at Science Secondary School Dawakin Kudu, Science and Technical Schools Management Board and indeed the education sector in general will no doubt remain indelible and will continue to impact on humanity.
To appreciate this great teacher, father and mentor, a quick survey has shown that from five class chapters 1984-1988, 4 retired military Generals, 3 serving Generals, 1 retired Police DIG, 1 serving Police AIG, 2 serving police commissioners, 2 former vice chancellors, 1 serving vice chancellor and a former deputy vice chancellor were among his former students. Then 41 university dons on professorial rank, 52 medical doctors, 15 pharmacists, 29 veterinary doctors, 76 engineers, 1 Assistant Comptroller General of Customs, 1 Comptroller of Customs, 1 retired Comptroller of Nigerian Correctional Service, over 100 paramedics, over 400 graduates of sciences, education and agriculture had passed under his tutelage.
Similarly, among his former students are a former Deputy Governor of Kano State, former Deputy Speaker of State House of Assembly and two serving state legislators, 2 former commissioners and 2 serving ones, 3 former permanent secretaries in Kano, Jigawa and Katsina and 5 serving ones in Kano, Jigawa and Kaduna states, 1 Chief Medical Director of a teaching hospital and many chief executives of government agencies as well as serving and retired directors in the civil service. There are also traditional title holders and local/international business men, senior staff of the United Nation’s agencies and private multinational companies. There are also 8 alumni of the National Institute of Policy and Strategic Studies and some recipients of the national merit awards. All these have contributed and are still contributing their quota in serving humanity through their different callings.
Most of his former students have positive memories about him. Therefore, many of them had invited him to grace ceremonial events in their honour when he was alive. Moreover, most of the class chapters had honoured him at different occasions in appreciation of the considerable role he played in making them productive and achieve their full potential.
It is while we continue to express our earnest gratitude to Malam Mustapha’s tremendous fatherly efforts by guiding and mentoring us, we will persist in prayers to Allah (SWT) to forgive his inadequacies, bless his family and give them the fortitude to bear the irreparable loss.
Jibrin Ali Giginyu was a Staff of Triumph Newspapers and former Correspondent of Voice of America Hausa Service and can be reached at [email protected] or [email protected]
