Pioneer Jigawa NUJ Chairman, Sa’if Muhammad passes on
By Editor
The pioneer Jigawa NUJ Chairman, Malam Saifullahi Muhammad, died on Wednesday at his Unguwa Uku residence in Tarauni Local Government Area, Kano State, after an illness.
A statement by Abdulkadir Ahmed Ibrahim, a close associate of Muhammad, stated that the remains of the deceased, popularly called Saif Muhammad were buried at the Tarauni Cemetery after Asr Prayers on Wednesday.
Muhammad was born in Malam Madori Town in Jigawa State) and he attended Government Secondary School Rano, Kano State.
“When I was employed as a reporter at Radio Kano in February 1979, Muhammad together with Yusuf Nagi Ahmed, Dalha Usman and others were already working at the Presentation Unit of the station as Presenters and Duty Continuity Announcers.
“He was among the pioneer staff of the Kano State Agency for Mass Education when it was established by the administration of late Muhammadu Abubakar Rimi in 1980. The agency had many units and departments where Saif worked including Public Enlightenment and Vocational Training School where Basic Radio and TV News Reporting and Photography Courses were offered.
“Muhammad was also involved in the production and presentation of an adult education radio program in Hausa titled gishiri inbabu kai babu miya (Salt: the fundamental condiment of an ideal soup). It was a weekly program broadcast by Radio Kano in the 1980s.
“He was one of the founding members and a pioneer officer of the Agency for Mass Education Kano Chapel of the Nigeria Union of Journalists. In 1985 to 1987, he was the Vice Chairman of Kano State Council of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ).
“To further his education and knowledge of the the media industry, Muhammad was one of the pioneer students of the Advanced Diploma in Mass Communication program of Bayero University Kano who passed out in 1987.
“At Gwammaja Low Cost Housing Estate in Kano City, Saif Mohammed was an active member of the estate residents association. It was to his credit that each of the (then) about 350 houses was installed with electricity meters by the then National Electric Power Authority (NEPA). He was also the liaison officer between the estate and Kano State Water Board and the Nigeria Police Force.
“With the creation of Jigawa State from Kano State in 1991, Muhammad transferred his services to Jigawa and retired later. He is survived by a wife, children and grandchildren, ” he said.
