Preamble
It is man’s to propose and Allah’s to dispose. Those are the permanent norms upon which human life is realistically based. Those norms are a clockwise phenomenon that cannot be turned anti-clockwise by any means. And that is what most faithful Muslims tag as evidence of destiny.
The proposed contents of this column today are not what you are about to read here. While trying to weave the web of an article into another vestige of thought for readers, Allah’s disposing will suddenly came to intervene with divine authority. And the title, as well as the contents of today’s article had to be changed.
Throbs of Obituary
On Thursday, the 25th day of the month of Ramadan in this year 1400 AH which coincided with the 30th day of May, 2019, Nigeria’s media waves throbbed with the breaking news of an eclipse of a human sun. That human sun was Alhaji Muslim Adio KolawoleAnimasaun, a Nigerian colossal journalist and legendary columnist of international repute. He was reported to have departed this ephemeral world in the night. By human calculation, that night could have been the Night of Power. It was that fortuitous news that caused a change of title and contents of the article originally planned for today in this column.
Despite the strictness of this Friday column (The Message) in ‘The Nation’ newspaper, if certain eminent people deserved special attention or dedication of an article in it, Alhaji Kola Animasaun should be foremost among them.
This is not only because he facilitated my employment as Deputy Chairman of the Editorial Board of Vanguard newspaper at a time when I badly needed a job, but also because he was my mentor and my confidant. I first met him in November 1992 when the funeral of Alhaja Simbiat Abiola brought us together at a gathering in the Ikeja residence of Bashorun MKO Abiola. But our closeness began in September 1996 when I joined the Editorial Board of Vanguard as his deputy. From thence, we became like Siamese twins in thought and in action. His column, ‘Voice of Reason’ in Sunday Vanguard had been a must read for me since 1984 when that newspaper debut. I was then in the now defunct Concord newspaper.
Human Life
Human life is a pilgrimage from the unknown to the unknown. No one knows whence he emanated or whither he is bound. The process by which man evolves is a special tapestry which size and shape cannot be measured in whatever form. As humans, all we know about life is that we naturally move from womb to womb before arriving in the puzzling transit which we globally call the world. For a period, we were in our fathers’ natural loins where we struggled for space and for survival. And in the attempt to shoot out through the iron gate of life we suddenly found ourselves as molecules swimming in the midst of billions of others in the name of spermatozoa. At that stage, human beings can be compared to fingerlings in their millions struggling to become juveniles in the aquatic world. Those in the fishery sector will understand this analogy better.
Mother’s Womb
Then, from our fathers’ exclusive loins, we moved into another hollow space inside our mothers’ womb and sojourned therein for a while before zooming into this complex world from where we shall eventually move into another hollow space called grave in the belly of the earth. And finally, we shall move forth from there into another world not yet known to anybody.
When we were in the loins of our fathers, no one knew of the existence of a place called pregnancy. Yet, we were made to pass through it as a transit for a period on our ways to the world. But then, while we were in pregnancy, no one knew of the existence of another place called the world. Yet, it was from the pregnancy that we came to find ourselves here on earth fortuitously and the pilgrimage continues.
The World of Man
The world of man is like a cloud moving forwards and backwards from time to time and gathering momentum for a paradoxical rain to fall. After the dispersal of that cloud, one of two occurrences becomes experienced. Either the rain falls to give the earth a renewed life or there is no rain at all. In the latter case, the sky becomes clearer as fresh air renews the oxygen of the world. Who can fault that natural phenomenal process?
Human beings in their multitudes are like a galaxy of stars which float incessantly in the orbit while jointly illuminating the spheres. Some of those stars are by far larger than the earth. But because of their distance from the human view, they look small. Some are moderate in size while some are actually small. Consequently, each functions according to its pre-destined assignment. ALLAH AKBAR!
As it is with the stars so it is with human beings. Some are great in life and in death. Some are great only while alive but as soon as they are demised, their greatness becomes like a dispersed cloud paving the way for a clearer atmosphere. Some function positively. Some function negatively. Some cannot be placed at all with regards to their functions. And after they might have all departed this world history takes the centre stage revealing both the hidden and the manifest aspects of their lives individually. And from such revelations, those left behind pick the relevant substances that form the continuation of their lives.
Philosophy of Life
Perhaps no Nigerian intellectual has ever captured the above painted scenario philosophically in the contemporary time better than Nigeria’s first President, Dr. Benjamin Nnamdi Azikiwe. In the introduction to his autobiography ‘MY ODYSSEY’, published in 1970, he observed thus:
“…Man comes into the world and while he lives, he embarks upon a series of activities absorbing experience which enables him to formulate a philosophy of life and to chart his courses of action. But then, he dies. Nevertheless, his biography remains a guide to those of the living who may need guidance either as a warning on the vanity of human wishes or as encouragement or both…”
Alhaji Kola Animasaun (now of blessed memory) was a student of that philosophy. By a dint of experience, he was able to dichotomize between idealism and materialism by understanding that the material well-being of every individual could influence the code of human conduct. Based on this, therefore, he did not see any reason in being materialistic. Rather, he was convinced that only an adaptation to the concatenations of the spiritual world could pilot a spiritual ‘pilgrim’ like him to the holy land.
A Programmed Phenomenon
Death, like life, is a programmed phenomenon. Both are like the day and the night exchanging baton at specific hours as divinely scheduled.
It couldn’t have sounded unusual to most genuine Nigerian Muslims last Thursday when the radio waves throbbed with the news of the demise of this colossus barely one month before he attained the age of 80 years. News of death can never be shocking to those who believe in Allah; His Angels; His Revealed Books; His Apostles, the Last Day and Destiny. We have been taught repeatedly in the Qur’an that “every soul shall taste of death”. But neither the Qur’an nor any other revealed book has told us when and how. Now, Alhaji Kola Animasaun has moved a step ahead of us in the pilgrimage of life. We shall all join him some day just as he has joined those who preceded him on that unavoidable journey.
Now, having gone to the world beyond ours, his life has become a chapter in the history of Nigeria. And from that chapter, it is left to those of us still alive to cultivate clauses of guidance or those of encouragement or even those of warning against the vanity of human wishes.
Inevitable Alternative
To many people in Nigeria and abroad who, out of ignorance, see death as an intruder, Alhaji Animasaun’s death might have come as “a rude shock” even at the age of 80. But to Muslims who understand their religion very well and know that death is an inevitable alternative to life, it couldn’t have been a shocker. Such Muslims know that death will come to lay its icy hand on man when it is time divinely scheduled for it and that every Muslim should prepare for it. When man’s time to die comes, no one can save him from the scourge of death. And no one can die for another. Just as we came into the world one by one and no one eats or defecates or sleeps for another so can no one help another to bear the scourge of death. Every soul, according to the programme of Allah, the Immortal Creator and Sustainer of all lives, shall bear his burden and face the consequences of his earthly actions. Wealth, position and fame are no barrier to death. Children may die while their parents remain alive. The healthy may die while the sick remains in coma. The wealthy may die while the poor keeps begging for daily meal. Death, the leveller of mankind, will come when it will come.
Adam, the primogenitor of man who came into the world without a father or a mother died. Hawau, the first created woman who came into the world without a mother, died. Prophet Isa who came into the world without a father is no more. All men and women born of fathers and mothers who have sojourned at one time or another in this world have fallen prey to the icy hand of death. All the Apostles of Allah dispatched to the world to guide mankind died. Who then is that mortal being that will escape the dragnet of death?
It is possible for those whose time has not come to start speculating on the immediate or remote causes of someone’s death. It is possible for the ignorant ones to blame someone’s death or misfortune on another. But the fact remains that death is a phenomenon which no Jupiter can change or alter. It is an attribute of destiny. In a famous stanza which has been universally acknowledged, an Arab poet once said about death:
“Whoever does not die by firing squared will surely die by another means; the causes of death are many but death itself is only one”.
Prophet Muhammad’s Demise
When Prophet Muhammad (SAW) demised in 632 CE, some Muslims (including Umar Bn Khattab who later became the second Caliph) refused to hear such news describing it as heresy. It took the courage and maturity of Abubakr to stand on the podium and address the crowd of the Muslim Ummah who wanted a confirmation or denial of the news of Prophet Muhammad’s demise. In a quivering but clear voice he said: …”Those of you who have been worshipping Muhammad be informed that Muhammad is no more. But those who have been worshipping Allah should know that Allah is immortal”.
Abubakr said this in further reiteration of Qur’an 2vs255 which has stood out for over 1400 years as a perfect answer to an heretical question of a deeply ignorant unbeliever who, in search of food, spent his entire life writing a whole book to ask a one sentence question thus: “Who is this Allah?”. The cited Qur’anic verse had provided the answer to that stupid question thus:
“Allah; there is no God besides Him, the living and the eternal One. Neither slumber nor sleep overtakes Him. His is what the Heavens and the earth contain. Who can intercede with Him except by His permission? He knows all about the affairs of men at present and in the future. They (human beings) can grasp only that part of His knowledge by His wills. His throne is beyond the sizes of the Heavens and the earth, and the preservation of both does not weary Him. He is the Exalted, the Immense One”.
Like all those who had passed through this world before him Alhaji Animasaun is no more. Thus, all other things about him are now history. But from that history is a lesson for those succeeding him in private and public life to learn. His is now a closed chapter in the history of Nigeria.
A Reassessment Mirror
This article is not much about the obituary of Alhaji Kola Animasaun as it is about a mirror with which to see ourselves and reassess the essence of our existence on earth. It is no news that Alhaji Kola Animasaun was a journalist in his life time. It is no news that he rose vertically through the ranks in the midst of his horizontal colleagues to become a professional template as the Chairman of the Editorial Board of Vangaurd newspaper after a diplomatic sojourn for about two decades. It is no news that he served his country meritoriously at various spheres of human endeavour.
What can be called news about his life was an unprecedented contentment in a society where greed and avarice were taken for yardstick of pecuniary greatness. He once turned down a confidential offer by his boss and employer, Uncle Sam Amuka Pemu, to assume the position of the Editor of Vanguard newspaper. His reason was that the position was better and more fitting to a younger journalist with enough experience. He also turned down an offer by his friend and professional colleague, Chief Segun Osoba, when the latter was the Governor of Ogun State. He wanted Alhaji Animasaun to be the Chairman of Abeokuta North Local Government at a time when some hawks were lobbying for that post. But contrary to Chief Osoba’s expectation, Alhaji Animasaun told him that he was absolutely satisfied with his professional job and that he preferred the post of the Chairman, Editorial Board of Vanguard newspaper to that of a Local Government. It took the intervention of Uncle Sam Amuka Pemu, to whom Governor Osoba reported the case, before Alhaji Animasaun reluctantly agreed to serve in that capacity. Yet, he did not touch the bulk of the salaries and allowances he earned on that job until he vacated office. And he used the money so realized to build a Mosque in his house as a service to Allah his Creator. That was a very rare decision in Nigeria especially at a time when political limelight was like a visa to the paradise of life.
His Religious life
One of the huddles of our own generation as journalists was the oddity of being Muslims in the profession that was seen as an exclusive preserve of Christian journalists. But Alhaji Animasaun remained undaunted as he observed his daily prayers at their right times during the office hours. In his persistence on observing every Salat at the right time, he was always going out of Vanguard premises in search of a Mosque to observe those prayers. After observing him closely for some time, Uncle Sam Amuka who revered him very much because of his professional competence and sincerity of purpose decided to provide a Mosque within Vanguard premises to relieve the few Muslim workers, including yours sincerely, in that outfit. Thus, a Mosque was provided within the premises of the company, not only for daily prayers but also for weekly Jum’at prayer. The Mosque is still there today.
Spiritual Incentive
While in Vanguard, Alhaji Animasaun was the Chairman, Editorial Board and yours sincerely was not only his deputy but also the Imam of the Mosque.
Our combination strengthened the few other Muslims in the establishment against inferiority complex and persecution. Not only that, the Mosque in Vanguard also served as an incentive for Muslims in other media houses to stand up vertically in defence of Islam.
With his professional, religious and social life, Alhaji Animasaun could be likened to a summer sun that photosynthesizes the professional and social lives of other people, irrespective of their tribes and creeds, either by facilitating gainful employments for them or by guiding them aright morally and intellectually.
Although Alhaji Animasaun has left the stage, his footprints on the sands of time remains an exemplary template for today’s and future generations of Nigerians who want to be patriotic to their motherland.
“Who shares his life’s pure pleasure and walks the honest road; who trades with heaping measure and lifts his brother’s load; who turns the wrong down bluntly and lends the right a hand; he dwells in God’s own country and tills the holy land”. Louis F. Benson
The above quoted poem is as fitting to Alhaji Kola Animasaun as a scepter in the hand of a magnificent king. We were all witnesses to that fact. We pray the Almighty Allah to repose his soul in eternal bliss and grant his family the needed fortitude to bear his absence and to surge ahead in life with continuity of uprightness. Amin!
INNA LILLAHI WA INNA ILAYHI RAJI’UN!