By Prof Hassan A. Saliu
Comrade’s comrade, M. M. Yusif, two term Chairperson of ASUU
M.M. Yusuf As An Activist Scholar
Mallam Muazu Mohammed Yusuf retired from the services of Bayero University, Kano (BUK) in April, 2023 after putting in forty-two years in service. The years he spent in BUK as a lecturer were quite exciting, dotted by activism. He was my lecturer in BUK who handled some notable courses all virtually defined by ideology.
I first encountered him in my final year when he handled a course on South Africa during the heydays of the obnoxious apartheid regime in that country. He was a committed teacher who was devoted to his calling, teaching. In the course of teaching our class, he would come around with a mountain of photocopied materials about South Africa which he gladly shared with us. One thing made him distinct that time. He would go through his course with passion; making students feel the situation in a faraway South Africa. He was always dictating his note to us most times extempore and sometimes he would raise his voice as if he was in front of the apartheid officials, speaking for the oppressed black South Africans. Answers to any question asked in the class were always preceded with a laughter. The experience that I got was that he wanted us to feel the pains being inflicted on the blacks under the white supremacist regime. I could feel the charge of wanting to go and fight the then Pretoria regime in some of the students. After graduating from the school, I still followed developments regarding this Marxist teacher. I learnt that he was the longest serving ASUU Chair in that University with all the inconveniences that went with the position. I recall vividly that even before he became the Chairman of ASUU, he never ceased to be on the radar of the security agencies for his radical submissions at seminars and symposia. And with his assumption of office as an official of ASUU, the intensity of his harassment by official security increased. He was never allowed to be as the security searchlight was always beaming on him and others that time. I think that was so because the military governments were afraid of people like him for fear of infesting the students with their dose of radicalism. Consequently, he was always being detained or questioned over one thing or the other, bordering on his radical views that he was freely expressing. The striking thing about it is that whenever he was being taking away or being left off the hook, his countenance would not change. He would always laugh over it. His close allies and family members, especially his wife must have felt the heat that was constantly being turned on him by the security agencies during that time. He was quite a popular face on campus through the numerous appearances he made at the outings of the students and labour events outside the campus. Also, being a teacher who used gesticulations a lot while teaching his class, the radical family in BUK would definitely miss him as he bowed out of service. One can only wish him a happy retirement life. He did make some impact on us as his students. Happy retirement life to a man of courage and conviction. Comrade teacher he was.
Malam Ibrahim Muazzam
Mallam Ibrahim Muazzam: A Philosopher in His Own Right
Ibrahim Muazzam, a scholar of the leftist traditions, retired from the Bayero University, Kano, BUK, in 2019 after putting in solid 41 years in service. This tribute is therefore coming up belatedly but as the popular saying goes, better late than never. I first came in contact with Mallam Ibrahim Muazzam in my first year in the University when he taught my class ‘Introduction to Nigerian Government and Politics’. He had his unique way of teaching which revolved around coming to class with a small note from which he dictated to us. Late comers to his classes were at a great disadvantage as his lectures were very brief and straight to the point. Sometimes some of the students would still be chatting away when Mallam would be done with his lectures. I later encountered him in the class of ‘African Political Thought’ in my final year. He, no doubt, was a good teacher who took my set virtually on all the available courses in the Department on political theory. I was not so close to him in my undergraduate days but was told how he was ever-ready to assist students irrespective of where they came from.
I was, however, relatively close to him when I returned to the Department for my doctoral programme in 1991. Both him and Dr. Rasheed Moten were always ready to assist in discussing my research topic even though they were not scholars of IR, an area in which I did my doctoral thesis on. At a point, he was my editor who was always ready to offer suggestions and go through my work at an unofficial level. He placed his rich library at my disposal to aid my programme. Although he was always there for me during the doctoral study, I was careful not to get involved in the politics of the Department. At a certain point when the turbulence of a PhD programme reared its head, I was circumspect in externalizing it to avoid a major quarrel in the department.
Five factors had endeared him to us as students. One, he was a Marxist who rarely wore the toga but loaded inside (permit the use of the Nigerian phrase). He was friendly to students, not minding whether they were Marxists or not. With Mallam, no problem was too difficult for him to solve for students; he was always prepared to go to any length in solving problems for students. Two, judging by his mode of dressing, students were generally attracted to him. He was most times in shirts and trousers, with no caps on. Wherever you come from, he would share a story about your native area with you. Knowing that I am from Ilorin, he would discuss the Saraki phenomenon with me, with a measure of accuracy. Three, his library was always available to us to borrow from and at times, needy students were assisted financially by him. Four, he was available to discuss academic topics, especially difficult issues with students. Five, given his deep knowledge of the development of socialist and labour movements in Nigeria, students who were working on those areas were always in his office to tap from his wealth of experience.
I recall a conference on Marxism that was convened at the Nasarawa State University, Keffi. I was there to represent the NPSA. Somewhere along the course of the conference, a few attendees who were familiar with my academic trademarks were surprised with my presence. Most others considered me as a Marxist scholar and one of the major stakeholders at the conference. Albeit I was only for the duration of the conference. I think on that occasion, he was the Keynote Speaker. By the time he was through discussing the history of the labour movements, the Nigerian State and the struggle of the socialist movements in Nigeria, we were all relieved that justice had been done to the topic.
Attendees at the conference who were not too familiar with him before that occasion and the stuff he was made of, began to reckon that another deep Marxist has walked through BUK. I bear testimony to the fact that there is no major book or paper written by any known Marxist in Nigeria or elsewhere that you may not find in Mallam’s library with its huge collections. I only hope our alma mata will soon produce another Muazzam who is a philosopher and adept at analysing the Nigerian situation. He was tolerant and an accommodating personality, who allowed other scholars to breathe, while he was in the service.
Some of his students, including this author became Professors, while he was still in the service and there was no ill-feelings shown toward us. I recall that he was at my PhD defence in 1995 to give me the moral support. He, however, left the hall, (as typical of him to do whenever he is not in agreement with certain happenings), when at a point he felt that the late Professor Julius Okolo who was my examiner was not approaching my viva from the angle he was accustomed to.
This tribute on Ibrahim Muazzam would definitely be incomplete if I do not comment on his never obtaining a PhD before he retired. My view on it is that Mallam did not really want it and that must be why efforts made for him to get it did not materialise. After a careful review, I share the view that he was not really out for it. No one who has ever had a contact with him would fail to notice his brilliance; he was quite adequate and sufficient to do it but he did not set his mind on acquiring it. His worth should therefore be seen in his students who have passed through him. Happy retirement life to you, my teacher.
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