Mamman Daura: The man who rules Nigeria behind the shadows ⋆
Who is Mamman Daura? Why is he very powerful? Mamman Daura is one of the vestigial remains of the Kaduna Mafia. A dying breed whose grip on power receded after the death of Abacha. The origins of the Kaduna mafia revolves around the demise of the first republic. The loss of many Northern leaders in the 1966 coup prodded a group of Northern civil servants to rally around and oppose the new government of General Aguiyi Ironsi. The group, a diverse mixture of aristocrats and civil servants were predominantly Muslim and based in Kaduna.
Many of its members were educated at the famous Barewa College in Zaria, and had demonstrated a certain level of managerial competence in comparison to some of their older contemporaries. They were known for their intelligence, commitment to the traditional values and socio-political interests of Northern Nigeria. Members were involved in varied aspects of the Nigerian nation, they were bank directors, ministers, military colonels and owners of business; their main differentiating symbol was the prominence of economic interest as a driving factor in their activities.
The group thrived on an elaborate network of power alliances among northern aristocrats and government sympathizers who favored the groups pro-northern and Islamic bent. Famous members and allies includes Adamu Ciroma, Mamman Daura, Ibrahim Tahir, Mahmud Tukur, Gen.Shehu Musa Yar’Adua and Muhammadu Buhari. Unfortunately, as time revealed, they all departed from the ideals championed by Sir Ahmadu Bello. They looked after themselves and cared less about the people they had planned to protect. It was all about power. By the 1980’s Buhari took a nationalistic view with a mission to restore values and put Nigeria straight. He did not hesitate to jail anyone from anywhere. His reputation as a patriot and lover of Nigeria as an indivisible entity emanated from there. He burnished his credentials by decisively destroying the Maitatsine sect and putting Islamic extremism out of the North until Babagida happened to us.
Can Buhari be trusted to take the necessary step to retrieve Nigeria from the grip of his uncle – Mamman Daura? I am not sure. He once withdrew Mamman Daura’s aides, revoked his security and instructed them not to allow him into Aso Rock. Somehow, Mamman Daura found his way back and became more virulent. A grip on Buhari by Daura is a grip on Nigeria. Can Buhari be trusted to do the needful? I don’t think so.
Can Buhari be trusted to take the necessary step to retrieve Nigeria from the grip of his uncle – Mamman Daura?
This article was originally published on the 14th, October 2016 by Bamidele Ademola-Olateju