Abudah: The Flame Blazing in the Corner

By Ijeoma Umeh 

       Late Alhaji Usman Daggash Abudah

The Dania of the Sacred Kingdom of Auchi 

Usman Abudah. . .I think of him now with a smile as he would sit in his office in the premises of the NUJ Edo state council, flipping through papers and looking out for trouble, for who would mistakenly step on his toes! 

A man who had carved a niche for himself as a warrior without guns or knives yet he was feared, hated by some, yet admired by many! 

 Whenever he appeared at the Congress of the NUJ, albeit, a rare appearance, everyone would sit up, leaders and followers alike, and speeches become ordered and streamlined while body movements become coordinated. No one wanted venom from Alhaji Abudah's palate! He spewed it forth, unmindful of whose ox was gored. He spoke truth to unionism and helped shapen the thought processes of some leaders of the union. 

He was a rallying point during elections. If he as much as uttered a word for or against you, then you would already know your fate! "Have you told Alhaji about your ambition?" Aspirants were often asked. Get his support during an election and you have conquered propaganda, for Usman would help you quench the fire of opposition views if you were fortunate to win his heart. 

However, don't bank on courting his friendship forever! The guy's mood could be very unpredictable! I am yet to meet a more firebrand journalist whose moods can swing like Alhaji Usman Abudah's! 

Don't go to him trying to exchange unnecessary banter, too. He once told a journalist who said he came to greet him, "I hope you have not come to gossip?" And to another he said, "Why are you parambulating the premises of NUJ like a jobless fellow? Is your community paper not producing again?"

Blunt to a fault, cantankerous at times, yet he was a humanitarian. Despite always being on the attack mode, he was always helpful, a humanitarian who helped many journalists through welfare challenges; and like everyone's personal Chi, Usman Abudah would  reprimand you this minute and express his love for you the next! Take the twists of his tongue with calm and perfect equanimity and you had won a true friend! Give him his due respect, and you have him where you want him. 

We will miss him, a man who hated nonsense..."look at them...doing nonsense all over the place!" he would often say. 

Indeed, we will miss him! Our Union needed someone like him, and God gave him to us. We have learnt so much from his wits, his counsel, his whips, his sharp tongue, his anger, his pain...we have learnt. 

God bless his soul and grant him a place in Paradise. Amen.