I remember him while I was growing up at Zaria Road off Abeokuta street, in the heart of Kaduna, Kaduna State, Nigeria.
Every evening, we, the kids on the street will throng to his house and patiently wait for him to come back to receive our daily groundnuts ‘sadaka’ alms from him.
This he did every evening before he retired for the night. It was a tradition he maintained for as long as I can remember.
Alhaji Dankullah and his extended family in many ways touched and positively affected the life of every kid on Zaria Road.
This was a man so rich, so famous yet so humble and generous. His humility and generosity to we kids was equaled to none.
It was this generosity that made most of the kids on the street to relocate their bedrooms to his garage.
Gradually, every kid started sleeping in his garage; some because they can’t afford to miss the daily sadaka of groundnuts which he shared every evening; and sometimes he could come back late in the evening; while for some it was a necessity occassioned by poverty; their parents did not have enough bed space to accommodate them: what parents failed to provide, Alhaji Dankullah, as we fondly called him, provided.
His house was the only house on the street in which every child felt at home! You could go to his house and eat whatever that was available and you will not be sanctioned; some even competed with his own biological children for their meals.
Alhaji Zakari Dankullah was a true definition of Philanthropy ! He was a cheerful giver and has sponsored the education (both Islamic and western) of many people and provided shelter to many more.
Here was a man whose wealth benefited so many people in so many ways. He gave from his wealth to the poor, the needy and to his neighbors.
Alhaji lived a life of charity. He was one of the most generous people I have known.
A colossus is gone; an Iroko tree has fallen and a vacuum has been created no one can fill. May Allah forgive his shortcomings and grant him Jannatul Firdausi and give us his family the fortitude to bear this irreplaceable loss.
Mohammed Sani Haruna writes from Kaduna
