As my friend and brother’s body (Mohammed Isa) was laid to rest in his native Funtua on Saturday afternoon, I am still in shock and devastated over the loss of this easy going, jovial and a good man that hardly held grudge for whatever reasons. Mohammed was a colleague and family friend; our families were bonding even before our uncles late Mal. Sama’ila Isa Funtua and late Mal. Wada Maida’s generation emerged and continued to solidify the bond more.
Though Mohammed grew up in Funtua, I grew up in Katsina – our relatives both in Katsina and Funtua continued with their “zumunci” over the decades as one family. Infact, when I was at GSS Funtua, his uncle’s home, Alh. Mu’azu Isa became my away home whenever I had free time from school in Funtua for the two years I spent there before Shagari administration transferred some of us to our hometowns to continue. I was sent to GDSS Katsina.
I first met Mohammed closely when he joined us at NAN in year 2000 as a young reporter from Democrats Newspapers – since then, we became best of friends, even after his exit from NAN and his subsequent porting to People’s Daily Newspapers in late 2019; and of course his later stint at National Assembly as an aide to a Speaker and two Senate Presidents.
Myself and late Mohammed were not seeing often but we hardly spend a week without calling each other for a lengthy phone chat; infact, I called him but without response in the morning of that fateful Sunday 06/11/2022 when he had the fatal accident that first claimed the life of another friend (Danladi Ndayebo) who died as a result of internal injury on the same day.
Mohammed came to this life, saw what it was, and conquered it by becoming a fine journalist, spokesperson and a public commentator on issues affecting the people. He was fearless, and for that I used to caution him, but hey, he will tell me that he had to say his mind no matter what. He was firm and principled.
Notwithstanding, like I said earlier, he had excellent human relations, he was open minded and he was an ardent “mai zumunci”.
The two losses of Mohammed and Danladi were indeed twin tragedies that, we their friends will not forget any time soon. I continue to mourn and pray that Almighty Allah (SWT) grant them place among the righteous ones in Aljannah Firdaus and also console their families and give them the fortitude to bear the painfull losses.
— Lawal Sale Maida
