Adieu Professor Balarabe Maikaba, By Samaila Balarabe
POLITICS DIGEST – While sitting dutifully in the comfort of my office working on my PhD Thesis, the news of the sudden death of Professor Balarabe Maikaba, an erudite and committed scholar of Mass Communications par excellence was broken to me via a phone call from a friend. Upon hearing the shocking news, I uttered Inna lillahi wa inna ilaihir raji’un several times as provided for in Islam.
I have known Professor Maikaba since 1988 during my Pre-Degree Programme at the School of General Studies (SGS) Bayero University, Kano. Though, he was then in Level 200 studying B.A. Mass Communications but he was very popular on the campus due to his prolific writings on burning national issues in the Nigerian dailies. He would always move with his purse gently dressed in his common outfit – Safari Jackets with intermittent Kaftans when he so wished.
Like other glowing tributes to the Late Prof., this piece can not skip his zeal and mastery of Mass Communication Research – a course he personally liked to teach, which even his students attested to.
From afar, one would quickly judge Late Maikaba as a “bully” possibly because of his stern look and boldness to say his mind regardless of whose ox was gored. Alas, a close interaction with him would no doubt proved otherwise, as he would try as much as he could to comfort his students by giving them the desired courage a father is expected to give his sons.
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The reason for saying so is that during my Masters Degree Programme in Mass Communications at Bayero University, Kano in 2008, a friend of mine and a course mate was assigned Prof. Maikaba to supervise him on his dissertation. On meeting him, the Late Scholar gave my friend all the required guidance and courage in order to do the work with relative ease. In fact, he was the first person among us to had his internal defense owing to the cooperation and support he got from his shining supervisor.
Currently, as my PhD Thesis Supervisor, Professor Maikaba wanted me to do a good work by giving me the appropriate direction of my research. When I submitted my Proposed Topic, we had a long debate on its suitability for PhD research. At last, we had to agree on a more robust topic, which he indeed framed and I was wholeheartedly convinced that it was a good one.
When I submitted my proposal, he studied it so meticulously and his observations were apt as no minute issues were left out. With that he directed me to develop the proposal into full pledged Chapters One to Three. The work I was doing when news of his death was revealed to me.
Of course, we, students and colleagues of Late Professor Balarabe Maikaba felt this great loss, his bereaved family felt it more. His death has created a wide vacuum in his family, community, Mass Communications Department, Bayero University, Kano, Mass Communications scholarship and indeed the entire nation.
May Allah (SWT) forgive his shortcomings and reward him with aljannah. Ameen.
Balarabe wrote from department of Mass Communication, Hassan Usman Katsina Polytechnic, Katsina
