By Sunny Omokagbo, Contributing Editor, BLERF
Who is Mamman Daura?
- President Buhari’s Uncle
- President Buhari’s nephew
- An administrator
- A veteran journalist
- An entrepreneur and industrialist
- A nationalist
- A father, husband and brother
- The head of the Cabal
It is hard to find a story of Mamman Daura without some connection to President Muhammad Buhari. This is hardly surprising considering that by providence both men are blood relations.
The relationship between these two men however is solidified by a common ethos: austerity, discipline and above all, LOYALTY!
Born in Daura on November 9, 1939, he is the son of President Buhari’s elder brother and three years older than the president in what has been a rather closely knit and interesting nephew-uncle relationship.
Mamman Daura had his early education between 1946-56 when he attended: Daura Elementary School, Katsina Middle School and Okene Secondary.
He worked briefly with the Daura Native Authority before he was selected as part of a small group of young brilliant northern men by the Northern Regional Government for higher education training in the United Kingdom.
Between 1958-62, he studied Latin, English Literature and the British Constitution at advanced level at Bournemouth College of Technology, England.
From 1962-66 he attended Trinity College, University of Dublin, where he bagged a bachelor’s degree in Economics and Politics and a combined degree in Public and Business Administration.
On his return from the United Kingdom, Malam Daura joined the civil service but was later recruited into the New Nigerian Newspaper where he quickly became the editor and later the Managing Director. He also played significant managerial role in the Nigerian Television Authority.
A consummate entrepreneur and industrialist, he left the public service and set up a private company-The Kaduna Furniture and Carpets Company which at one time was considered the largest furniture company in West Africa.
Along with some local and international investors, Malam Daura played a prominent role in the northern industrial revolution of the late 1970s and 80s which saw the setting up of companies like Kaduna Machine Works; United Nigeria Textiles; Arewa Textiles; Kaduna Aluminum Ltd; Funtua Textlies among others.
He was also a key player in the management of the Northern Nigeria Development Commission, and was influential as a board member or chairman of companies such as: Dunlop, APICO Insurance and Hagameyer.
A philanthropist, he played an active role in the Katsina State Development Fund or “Gidauniya Jihar Katsina”.
Mamman Daura has been a prominent personality in life of President Buhari. He was influential in getting the president to enroll in military and was supportive helping the incarcerated Buhari to tender to his farm and cattle following his ouster in a military coup. Their kinship and friendship spans over 73 years.
This relationship in more recent times has seen him being cast especially in the social media as the head of the “Cabal”-a group of people believed to have absolute control over the president and affairs of government.
Recently, Malam Daura turned 80 years old. He is a conservative Muslim and married to Hajiya Ummul Kulthum with whom he is blessed with six children.