Dr Gumi:In the eye of the storm
By Our Special Correspondent
An exclusive report reaching Newsdiaryonline.com said that the Sultan Bello Mosque Management in Kaduna has held an emergency meeting on the heels of a disagreement between Dr Ahmed Gumi and Sheikh Daihiru Bauchi which led to an abrupt end of wedding fathia prayers for the daughters of Vice President Namadi Sambo last year.The management of the Mosque at a meeting held at its conference room on Wednesday 12th December 2012 resolved among others “ that Dr Ahmed Gumi should have exercised restraint” on the occasion .The row was precipitated by a disagreement between Gumi and Dahiru Bauchi over the whether or not Salatul-Fateeh should have been offered as Dauhiriu Bauchi did in the Mosque.
Minute’s of the emergency meeting which was exclusively sighted by Newsdiaryonline.com said “the chairman informed members that the Emergency meeting was necessitated by the unfortunate incident during the wedding prayers of the daughters of the Vice President ,His Excellency, Architect Namadi Sambo, GCFR”. The meeting was called to confirm what happened and why? Offer solution to avoid repeat and consider other related issues.
Narrating what happened , the minutes of the meeting said “After hearing from those who were present inside the Mosque during the Wedding Prayers,including the chairman and the Imam,it was confirmed that :the Imam offered the prayers ;and on the request of Sheikh Yusuf Sambo Rigachikun,Sheikh Dahiru Bauchi and Dr Ahmad Gumi were requested to offer the 2nd and 3rd prayers.And Sheikh Dahiru Bauchi proceeded to offer the 2nd prayer.
The Mosque’s Management Committee noted that “When Dr Ahmad Gumi was to offer the 3rd prayer he stated that Sheikh Dahiru Bauchi should not have offered SALATUL-FATEEH in Sultan Bello Mosque.”
“That statement led to the commotion between the supporters of the 2 Mallam,which regretfully led to the abrupt end of the ceremony”, the meeting was told.
The Management of the Sultan Bello Mosque after deliberating on the issue observed and agreed, among others that, “It was not possible to expect Sheikh Dahiru Bauchi to offer prayers without reciting salatul-Fateeh”
It also noted that “Sheikh Dahiru Bauchi did not say anybody should also recite it.” And the management added the clincher when it resolved “that Dr Ahmad Gumi should have exercised restraint”.
Also in the aftermath of this row, the Mosque’s Management resolved at the emergency meeting, “that the Imam,henceforth,shall alone offer the wedding prayer”.
The meeting also discussed other issues related to the incident and offered its resolutions.For instance,the meeting noted that “the accusation that Imam B. Wali snatched the Microphone from Dr Ahmad Gumi is not correct,and Dr.Ahmad Gumi himself came to the Mosque and denied that allegation.”
“That appropriate steps should and would be taken to regulate entry into the Mosque by non-Muslim dignitaries during wedding prayers or other festivities within the Islamic Rules and Regulations”.
Finally, the meeting noted “that there is no problem ,dispute or disagreement between the Imam and the Management ,and it was not responsible for the incident”
Nine members of the Mosque’s management were at the meeting including Alhaji Saidu Kakagi, the chairman,Yahaya Mahmood,SAN ,member and legal adviser,Ibrahim Dalhatu “acting ES/Secretary” among others.Five others sent their apologies and according to the minutes,five others including Sheikh Yusuf Sambo Richachikun were absent.
An insider told Newsdiaryonline.com that the management of the mosque may have asked Dr Gumi to apologize to Dahiru Bauchi.But it has also been alleged that the young Gumi refused to apologize. Some elders claim that the young Gumi’s conduct is “an embarrassment”.
Those who have been watching Dr Ahmed Gumi’s conduct claim he is not viewed in a a strict sense as a cleric .That may be why the Mosque management kept referring to him in its minutes as Dr Ahmed Gumi instead of Sheikh. Even more, it is alleged that the young man has been allowed to conduct affairs out of courtesy and regard to his late father,the highly respected Sheikh Abubakar Gumi.
It was this respect for the role his father played that many northerners across religious divides united to secure Dr Ahmed Gumi’s freedom when he was detained by Saudi Arabia,Newsdiaryonline.com was told.A knowledgeable source said those who worked for Dr Ahmed Gumi’s freedom from Saudi detention included late Patrick Yakowa who was Governor of Kaduna state then,General TY Danjuma, General Ibrahim Babangida,General Muhammadu Buhari ,General Olusegun Obasanjo and Vice President Namadi Sambo.Others involved in his freedom from the jaws of Saudi law included Sultan Ibrahim Dasuki and General Aliyu Gusau a former national security adviser.
Newsdiaryonline.com learnt that the efforts of these prominent northerners was coordinated by Professor Shehu Galadanci ,a renowned Nigerian Ambassador to Saudi Arabia.Galadanci who served as the “main contact person” that worked for Dr Gumi’s freedom had worked as Nigeria’s national security adviser and he is also an emeritus professor of Arabic Language who worked closely with Sheikh Faisal Alturki,a former head of Saudi intelligence Service.
There appears to be some unhappiness in some circles that in spite of what has been done for him, Dr Ahmed Gumi by his utterances has been “embarrassing” elders .And that may have been one of the reasons why the Mosque committee expected him to have exercised some restraint during his row with Sheikh Dahiru Bauchi.
