YAHAYA MAHMOOD SAN: A QUINTESSENTIAL GENTLEMAN GOES HOME

"Nigeria is a Great Country. Nigerians are a Great People. We got Independence as a Divided People. The Military further divided us. They handed Power to Divided Politicians. The Constitution is not helping matters. I am not sure a National Conference or Dialogue will help. What may help is Purposeful Leader and Leadership. I have faith in God Almighty that it is possible." -Yahaya Mahmood SAN, 14 November 2013. I do not consider this article a tribute for two reasons. First, I think myself unworthy and not qualified to write a tribute on the man Barrister Yahaya Mahmood SAN. Secondly, I find it difficult to believe and come to terms with the fact that he is no more. My reason is hinged on the above quoted comment by him on my facebook post just a day before his death. As a young boy I have always wanted to study law. This quest drove me to read a lot about lawyers and people who have succeeded in the profession. Yahaya Mahmood SAN happens to be one of the lawyers I read about because he stood tall among his peers and was highly principled when it came to issues bothering on national development. I longed and prayed for the day I would meet this beacon of light in the noble profession. Destiny would bring us together through social media, because immediately I discovered he was on Facebook, I sent a friend request to him, and to my surprise, he accepted to request almost immediately. That would be the beginning of great and wonderful experiences for me, because I tapped immensely from his robust knowledge of law and issues bothering on the Nigerian state. From my discussions and conversations with him, I discovered he is a man with great love and passion for this country, and desires to see Nigeria better than where we are currently. Barrister Yahaya Mahmood would go out of his way to explain everything in detail to me until he is satisfied that I have adequately understood. His desire for a great Nigeria, blended so well with my quest for a better country and he has been a pillar of support to me, in the struggle I have been doing on Facebook and other social media platforms. His death is a heavy blow to me as I have lost one of my greatest pillar of support and encouragement, both in the struggle and in my pursuit of becoming a lawyer. One area where Barrister Yahaya Mahmood SAN and I, have discussed extensively is in the ongoing process to convene a National Dialogue or Conference. My argument is that the we do not need a National Dialogue before we can have good governance and purposeful leadership, and he agreed wholeheartedly. In fact he told me that the Dialogue was a distraction by President Jonathan, and I completely agreed with him completely. It is also his view that we cannot convene a National Conference with our current Constitution still in place and the institutions of government. This is again another truth. Hear him "those who convinced the President to initiate this at this time had in mind to divert our attention from 2015, PDP crisis, Boko Haram, Kidnapping etc. The conference biggest problem will be its legitimacy in view of existing structures." He espoused his view again on Thursday evening, 14 Novermber, 2013, exactly a day before this death, and I have quoted him above. That is the man Yahaya Mahmood SAN for you, he was never afraid to hold an opinion even if he will stand alone. On the ongoing strike by ASUU, Barrister Yahaya Mahmood SAN, was never happy that the strike was allowed to last this long. He did not particularly like the comment attributed to the Senate President that those who signed the agreement on behalf of government were ignorant. Hear him "I listened to the debate at the Senate. I think the Senate President did not follow the arguments. There is a difference between saying they were 'wrong' and they were 'ignorant'. For not understanding that, he is the one who is ignorant". There are many other instances where I have tapped from the fountain of knowledge of this great man and legal giant that I cannot relay here, for want of space. Although he is no more, we owe it to his memory to ensure that we get our country back on the track of development, something he strongly believed in until the day he breathed his last. On the National Conference, like he said, we do not need a Conference before we can develop as a nation. What we need is a good leader and purposeful leadership. Despite several years of independence, Nigeria is yet to have a leader with genuine love for her. Until we find such a leader, the we shall continue to feet drag as a country. It behooves on us not let the ideals he stood and worked tirelessly for, die with him. And if the National Conference must hold, it must not be anything short of a Sovereign National Conference. Let me use this medium to call on the appropriate authorities to immortalize this great Nigerian. Like every mortal being, Barrister Yahaya Mahmood SAN may not be perfect, but he tried his best. He came, he saw and he conquered. To his dear wife, children, friends and admirers, the Almighty God who created Barrister Yahaya Mahmud SAN, without consulting us, has decided to call him to himself still without consulting us. We pray the Almighty Allah will lighten his grave, forgive his sins and welcome him into Paradise. Adieu my mentor, friend and to a large extent, father. Allah ya jikan shi. Amin Frank O. Ijege Kaduna, frankijege@yahoo.com