TRIBUTE TO GARBALE IBRAHIM BATURE (Late)

TRIBUTE TO GWANIN MAGAJI ( GARBALE BATURE)

By Mustapha Kabir (Yariman Katagum)

Innalillahi wa inna Ilahi Raji'un, Allah SWT have mercy on the soul of this humble gentleman. His demise comes to me with the shock that I could help but the recollections of our encounter since 1971. I was eleven years old.

I remembered in 1971,  I was admitted in Kuranga Secondary School my residence was  to Maigana House , was assigned to room E4, Garbale was in form three. Being the junior I was directly above the  double decker.

It was an era of extreme seniority and punishment in the Schools those days, BUT I still recollect Garbale has never ever even asked me to fetch water for him to drink. His father Alhaji Bature was perhaps richest man in Azare  then . Garbale was the only student in GSS Azare that had  a bicycle and a mattress  and I was one who gets to use it , both seat on the mattress and the bicycle . On some Sundays , he sometimes makes me come to their family  house, because there ware gazelles there, which I used to love watching and chasing them around. He will always caution me to be wary of their reaction. He treated me like a younger brother. He earned my respect for his gentlemanliness through all time I knew him.

My last conversation with him was I called to congratulate him on the appointment of Mallam Adamu Adamu as Minister because of their closeness, he laughed and said Yarima, Mallam is for us all.

May Allah SWT make your life comfortable in your grave, May Allah SWT make Aljanna Firdausi be you final abode. Ameen ya Rabil Alamin.
For the first and last time as the tears are rolling out of control from my eyes,  Magajin Gwanin Katagum, I said to you adieus SIR.