MALLAMA HALIMAT SANNI (NEE MUSA EKPOKI): MY BRILLIANT AND ADORABLE MOTHER!
She is beautiful and bold. Like her progenitors, she is daring and courageous. And from many years of diligent studies
And she is adorable, elegant, and wonderful!
Simply put, she possesses all the positive qualities and attributes of her great forebears, the beautiful spirit of the Asekhamehs.
Sincerely, she has so much energy, enthusiasm, and warmth. Also, she has this willingness, passion, and desire to succeed in whatever she puts her hands into to do.
And she is my mother. She is my mother, Mama Jeminetu Osabomeh (Nee Idi Ekpoki) first cousin. Her late father, our father, Mallam (Mana) Ibrahim Ekpoki is the immediate elder brother of my maternal grandfather, Mallam Idrisu ‘Idi’ Ekpoki.
Now, a ‘Mallam’ is a Muslim in the Islamic Faith, who is not only versed in the study and reading of the Holy Quaran, but in its interpretation. This is the title given to these learned men in Qur’anic studies and to accommodate its pronunciation, our people usually corrupt it either to ‘Emana’ or ‘Mana.’ So, it is commonplace to hear such names as ‘Emana Brai’ or ‘Mana Brai’ or ‘Emana Idi’ or ‘Mana Idi’ within and around our community.
These two brothers, history recorded it for them that they were close when they were here with us. Although Mana Brai was the older of the two, yet they were like twins born on the same day as they did things in common, and it was next to impossible to separate them. And they were said to be the most learned men in Arabic of their ages in their time.
Strangely, they both possessed mystical powers and for this, they were well known and revered, not only within our Community, Udochi, but also around its neighbouring communities. They were feared because they could pronounce things and by the blessings of Allah upon them, it will happen immediately.
Equally, they both manifested great divine and mystical powers of exorcism! While Mallam Idrisu was famed for his mystic powers as he was said to have mystic powers over the forces of evil especially of witchcraft as it was reported that he could go after them at night, bringing them to their knees in complete nakedness and snakes are said to cut into two whenever they cross his path, his elder brother, Mana Brai was said to possess the powers of invisibility whenever danger comes closer to him and he displayed this mystical ability of invisibility during one of the communal conflicts with a neighbouring community.
On his praying mat, he will simply hold his ‘Tasbih’ and while reciting it, water will simply surround him whenever there is an attack coming close to him.
Allah simply blessed them with His divine graces!
So, Mana Brai was the father of Halimat while Mana Idi was the father of Jeminetu, my mother and in this, Mallama Halimat Sanni (Nee Musa Ekpoki) is my brilliant and adorable mother.
Now, our noble Community, Udochi is where everyone is related to everybody and everybody is interconnected with everyone, either by blood or by marriage.
In this, Mallama Halimat Sanni (Nee Musa Ekpoki) holds me in two places. Her late mother, our mother, Mama Ajara Ibrahim Ekpoki (Nee Okpetu) was the female child of Mama Alemoye, the daughter of one of our progenitors, Pa Osabomeh Affoh, who is my great grandfather.
On the other hand, my maternal grandfather, Mallam (Mana) Idrisu ‘Idi’ Ekpoki was the direct younger brother of her late father, Mallam ‘Mana’ Ibrahim Ekpoki. In fact, they were the only two (2) surviving sons of their mother, Princess Omoeghie Ekpoki (Nee Aduku) from Fugar or ‘Ofugha’ as later corrupted by our people.
So, I do not miss the point when I state, categorically that Mallama Halimat Sanni (Nee Musa Ekpoki) is my mother because in both ways that a child is brought into the world, by the father and mother, she holds me, and this is the singular honour bestowed on her by our loving Father, the Creator of the Universe.
Gratefully, these are the two natural hands that God gave her to hold me and how blessed I have been because in this rare and significant natural responsibility, she has continued to hold me firmly, not like a brother, but like a son.
She is my brilliant and adorable mother!
However, while I grew up at the village following our sudden return to the village in September 1971, precisely on Monday, September 13, 1971 when a strange illness caught up with my late father, Mr Dominic Sule (DS) Osabomeh and we never returned back to him in Kaduna as planned, Halimat principally got her tutelage at the famous Kanji, New Bussa in the present-day Niger State in the home and presence of her brother, our late Uncle and father, Mallam Zakari Musa Ibrahim Ekpoki and aside her frequent visits to the village during the festival periods of Eid-el-Fitri or Eid-el-Kabir or Christmas as the case may be, we did not relate so closely until late.
My first visit to Lagos was during the long vocation of 1984, precisely in August 1984 to visit my mother, Mrs Jule Ladi Da-Silva (Nee Idi Ekpoki). And even though I had moved to Benin City in 1988 to live with my late Aunt, Mrs Christy ‘Kashekule’ Afeleokhai (Nee Salufu) which I have since chronicled as ‘Mrs Christy ‘Kashekule’ Afeleokhai (Nee Salufu): The Death of The Peoples’ Mother!’ on Friday, October 20, 2023, it took me another five (5) years to visit the Centre of Excellence again in December 1989 and subsequently in January 1991 when I came to stay, live and work in the most welcoming State in the country.
During these periods, I could now move around freely on my own, however, I recall with gratitude that my aunt, Mrs Jule Ladi Da-Silva (Nee Idi Ekpoki) which I have equally chronicled as ‘Mrs Jule Ladi Da-Silva (Nee Idi Ekpoki): A Mother of Compassionate Compassion!’ on Thursday, March 16, 2023 while celebrating her eighty-two (82) years birthday, took me round to show me so many places of interest, but more to the places where our people reside in the City.
And one of the places that she took me to in December 1989 was the home of her sister, our mother, Mrs Seluma ‘Salma’ Oshiomhogho (Nee Ekpoki). So, when I returned in January 1991, I was a frequent visitor to the home of Mr Momodu Oshiomhogho and Mrs Seluma ‘Salma’ Oshiomhogho (Nee Ekpoki) at Ajegunle because of their hospitality, but much more because of the presence of Mallama Halimat Sanni (Nee Musa Ekpoki), my brilliant and adorable mother!
At that time, she was living with them at their Navy Barracks home, precisely at Block F, Flat U3.
Now, my maternal family, the great Ekpoki family, is a well-knit family. They look after each other, to protect and to bless and over time, they have graciously and generously extended this love, even to the children of their female children.
This was the sole reason Mama Abule as we fondly call her, took me to our big Mummy’s place at Ajegunle during my second visit to Lagos in December 1989, where, thankfully, I met Mallama Halimat Sanni (Nee Musa Ekpoki).
At that time too, she was working with the Indian Embassy at Walter Carrington Crescent, Victoria Island, where she worked from 1991-1994 and it was such a relish on each day of my visits which were every other weekend because of the absolute attention and care that I would receive from her.
Halimat has this special aura, the aura of diligence and dedication. In fact, during her stint with the Indian Embassy, she conducted herself with a special aura around herself that everyone came to admire her. She was smart in her role as she was intelligent and brilliant in the delivery of her responsibilities.
She was very articulate where her work ethics, was excellently phenomenal!
And in her dressing, she was a model of decency. With pride, I still have some of the photographs that she shared with me, showing the decent working ambience of the Indian Embassy.
However, Year 1993 was the most pivotal in our relationship.
The June 12, 1993 Presidential Election, which was held on Saturday, June 12, 1993, was considered and adjudged to be the fairest and freest and credible elections ever conducted in the political history of Nigeria, using the ‘Open Ballot System,’ the fabled ‘Option A4’ which was developed, deployed, and anchored by the consummate Public Administrator, Academic, Technocrat, and Political Scientist, Professor Humprey Nwosu. The election was acclaimed to have been won by the business mogul, late Chief Moshood Kashimawo Olawale (MKO) Abiola of the defunct Social Democratic Party (SDP) with late Chief Anthony Akhakon ‘Tony’ Anenih as its National Chairman from 1992 to 1993.
However, the election was unceremoniously annulled by the Geneal Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida (IBB) led Military Administration, resulting to spontaneous riotous moments across the country and strike by the Nigerian Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG) and the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) as led by the late Chief Frank Kokori could not help matters, prompting Chief MKO Abiola to go into exile for some months.
As drums of war began to beat around the country following these spontaneous riots in the main cities of the country, particularly in the Southwest of Lagos and Edo States following the unfortunate annulment of the results of the Presidential election, indigenes of various communities found their ways back to their respective communities.
Udochi, our dearest and peaceful community was not left out of this anticipation as some of her children returned home.
I recall that I was home from Auchi Polytechnic with my brothers, Mr Joseph Oshiomah Oboh and late Mallam Shaka ‘Daymos’ Aliyu (may Allah continue to rest his peaceful soul). Mr Idris ‘Aluta’ Ikhaluobomeh and Prince Dan Tayibu Ekpoki were home with us too. In fact, most of the students in tertiary institutions around the then Edo State were home and Halima joined this train of students in the tertiary institutions from the Federal Polytechnic, Bida.
It was a happy moment for us at the village as this rare opportunity did not only afford us the chance to compare notes about life in our various campuses, but it also equally allowed us to socialize, forming great bonds
And as already chronicled in ‘Mallam Shaka ‘Daymos’ Aliyu: A Tribute to a True Friend, A Beloved Brother’ on Wednesday, July 26, 2017, fate truly brought us together at the village at that time where we became the unofficial News Reporters or Interpreters for the Community.
I recall with nostalgic feelings, how we used to gather at the Palace of the Oliola in the evenings to listen to BBC news on Radio and in turn, inform the community about the state of things in the country following Abiola’s trip abroad to seek for support to reclaim in his ‘stolen’ mandate.
It was during the peaceful reign of late Alhaji Tayibu Umar Ekpoki as the fourth (4th) Oliola of Udochi from Sunday, September 18, 1988 to Thursday, February 07, 2002 (may Allah continue to rest his peaceful soul) who greatly supported this cause by providing batteries for the radio for us.
Here, Halimat brought her intellectual capacity
At that time, she was rounding off her Higher National Diploma (HND) program or so at the Federal Polytechnic, Bida while we were either just beginning or rounding off our own Ordinary National Diploma (OND) at Auchi Polytechnic.
Yet, with obvious gaps in our ages and studies, Halimat brought herself to our levels, displaying a great virtue of humility and simplicity.
Here again, she displayed her intelligence. She is an excellent Speaker as well as a brilliant Writer. In communicating, she adopts the use of proper and simple words, while she communicates clearly. And she is at home with languages as she can speak Uneme, Hausa and Yoruba very fluently.
These were truly proud moments for us as the community could see clearly that they were investing in us rightly.
Truly, Halimat is a brilliant and sweet girl. She is one person that makes others to shine because of her brilliance.
And I always look up to her. She has been an immense source of inspiration for me.
Honestly, while growing up, there were many people who, through their labour of love that picked me up and packaged my life along the way. For me to grow, they laboured and laboured graciously and generously. They were intimately involved in pruning me, fertilizing me by their way of guidance, and helping me, by their way of sincere advice
Growing up, I was a voracious reader. I was simply attracted to Literature and literary works. From Pacesetters to Mills and Boon, African Series to Shakespeare, I read. I read books and novels from Agatha Christie as well as Mario Puzo and Sidney Sheldon. I simply read all books that were available, but the one that fascinated me the most, were the works of James Hardly Chase.
In Benin City, I read almost all his books from 1988 to 1989 courtesy of one of my school mates, Miss Abimbola Faluyi (I do not now know where I can ever find her, but I am forever grateful to her for she brought out the best out of me by her encouragement for me to study and read) and I could quote some of his main characters, off hand and I always boost of myself of this ability. However, one day, I cannot now recollect the occasion correctly, I misquoted the theme of ‘Trusted Like the Fox’ and I did not, in that instance, realise that the brilliant one, Halimat was in that gathering, but in a gentle love, she corrected me.
I will forever be grateful to her because that correction, done in gentle love, reminded me that ‘no one knows it all,’ hence one should never brag of whatever one knows because others may know better than you, yet simple and humble in their ways of life.
Mallama Halimat Sanni (Nee Musa Ekpoki) is a Chaser too and if you are a Chaser, you remain a Chaser forever, proudly!
In the 1995/96 Service Year, Halimat was very lucky as she was posted to her home State of Edo for her National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) where she served with AO Iyere Motors (a Haulage Company) at 3, 1st East Circular Road, Off Akpakpava Road, Benin City, Edo.
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Here, she met one of our most naturally beautiful daughters, Ms Bridget Elezegbe Aduku and they formed a bond, a bond that has not only been beautiful over these decades but has been beneficial to all concerned.
Such is the natural tendency of Mallama Halimat Sanni (Nee Musa Ekpoki). She is naturally lovely, passionate, and kind. She gives everything to ensure that her relationships with others are beautiful and beneficial in all sides.
For instance, following her marriage in July 2000, I used to go to her house every other Sunday. That was when she was living at 2, Oremeji Street, Off Ojoku Street, Ajegunle.
It was the father-in-law’s house, or better still, a family house. In this, Halimat was dutiful both as a wife and daughter-in-law, catering for the needs of everyone.
With gratitude, I recall how I used to trek all the way from Boundary through Tolu/Adeolu area to her place every other Sunday and this was never difficult for me to do because of the premium that I placed on my visits.
Firstly, with maternal hospitality, she attended to me at every of my visit which she was never tired of. In fact, she desired that I could stay longer with her or better still, live with her because of the candour of our conversations.
In those conversations, I enjoyed her trust, confidence, and warmth as there were nothing that she could not share with me, her fears, and doubts in the present, and her hope and aspirations for the future.
Sincerely, those hours spent in those sincere conversations, were gold to me and I will forever cherish them.
Secondly, she gave me her time and thinking. And her meals, served in true love and hospitality, were some of the best that I have ever tasted and of course, I always look forward to my next visit with relish when the next Sunday does not always come quickly.
And how much I enjoyed our conversations!
In one of such conversations, she told me how she worked with the Transport giant, Panalpina World Transport (Nigeria) Limited for only two (2) months. Yes, only two (2) months from July to September 1997, but she was asked to go because of the delicate matters of the heart and love.
Recently, in fact on Monday, March 18, 2024, she told me in one of our chats on WhatsApp that ‘there was more to it, but I only chose the heart and love part for consolation.’
It was here that she found Mallam Moruf Olanrewaju Sanni who became her husband and the father of her children.
Truly, in September 1997, Halimat chose the delicate matters of the heart and love as the better consolation and how blessed she has been these past twenty-four (24) years of a happily married life!
All glory goes to Allah, the Beneficent, the Most Merciful!
And when I moved to 23, Idofian Street, Off Julius Elebiju Street, Off Demurin Street, Ketu on Saturday, March 09, 2002, Halimat had already preceded me as she had moved to the Ikorodu axis, living, precisely at 38, Oladimeji Crescent, Off Agbarho Street, Idi-Iroko, Ogolonto, Ikorodu where my frequent visits to her home returned until we left for the Ajax axis of Lagos on Saturday, April 05, 2008, but for distance, my frequent visits would have continued because of the warmth and hospitality of that I always received from my brilliant and adorable mother, Mallama Halimat Sanni (Nee Musa Ekpoki).
Honestly, distance killed my frequent visits to her place, but thank God for the advancement in technology of the telephone, WhatsApp, and Facebook! And with these, I have been able, even though not physically, to keep my visits to her very frequently.
In Year 2020, the world faced a pandemic never seen before. The Coronavirus better known as Covid-19 came to ravage the world, inflicting devastating, and everlasting pains on humanity.
There were deaths all over the world. Some businesses were closed forever, but as God would have it, the negative projections for the continent of Africa, did not come to pass. This was purely the grace of God on the continent of Africa. God blessed us, the people of Africa with deep resilience resulting from our years of travails, hardship, and difficulties.
In these, we survived the deadly scourge of Covid-19. However, my family survived more from the kind financial support and moral and medical advice that we received from our friends and relations.
In this, Halimat practically turned my telephone handset into her Consulting Room as she called us on daily basis, sharing vital information on the newest combination of herbal medicine to be used to counter the evil effects of Covid-19. She gave us advice and warnings that kept us safe!
We can never be too grateful to her because indeed, she is my brilliant and adorable mother!
Prior to this, Year 2015 began a journey for us that have continued to put fear into our hearts whenever the raining season approaches.
It was Monday, June 15, 2015 and as we were enjoying the gentle drop of rain, we suddenly noticed that our compound was filled up with water and because we could not react, it was already approaching to enter our house.
It was such a disturbing sight, wrenching our hearts to pieces. And this has continued to hunt us and hurt us since then. However, we are very grateful to all our good friends that came to our aid, financially to carry out some repairs to mitigate the effects of the flooding as we were among the first to build on the Street, hence our house is now lower than the road.
Significantly, every time since Year 2015 that Lagos State witnessed a heavy downpour, the telephone call of Halimat would be the first that we would receive; ‘thank you my blood. How is everyone? I hope this rain is not a menace in your area?’ Such would always be her Short Message Service (SMS) when she could not reach us on telephone due to bad network. Consistently and religiously, she has followed up on us in this regard, offering us words of encouragement and prayers for God’s intervention. And with a calming and reassuring voice, she would always say to us ‘so I am checking on you and yours, though Cents have I not, but I give you love from my heart.’
And that love, the true love from her heart is the most important for us at such periods.
Honestly, Mallama Halimat Sanni (Nee Musa Ekpoki) is a brilliant and an adorable mother!
Sincerely speaking, Halimat is a woman of prayer and in this, she has continued to nourish me and my family with the words of God.
On Wednesday, August 18, 2021 during our twenty (20) years wedding anniversary, we went to bed peacefully because of her prayers for us and even as I put this little piece together, I could still hear her voice, her distinct and firm voice in her prayers as she sought Allah’s mercy on me and my family, while giving Him thanksgiving (Shukr), for His ‘divine responsiveness.’
Moments like these are what have continued to endear her to us as our brilliant and adorable mother.
Essentially, she is one person anyone would always wish to hear her voice on the telephone. With calmness, simplicity, and candour, she always relays her message and whenever she calls, there is always this ebullient, reassuring, and confident voice behind the microphone of the handset, enthusing her intellectual capacity and mental alertness.
And she always speaks words, not necessarily the most eloquent or impassioned words, but the most open and honest ones that heal wounds in her relationship with another.
She is a vessel that carries a lot of wisdom. Sincerely, there is a magnate of wisdom that transmits from the generations of the Asekhameh Dynasty and Halimat is one of such generations.
I am very appreciative of that care, attention, given with a deep listening ear and deep-thinking mind. She always speak to me profoundly, believing in my abilities and talents, urging me to take a route to life through writing, writing and documentation of my stories in my Chronicles.
As a true mother, she is always enthusiastic about me, where with every opportunity that she gets, she cannot cease to inspire me to live my potentials. She always pushes me on, inspiring me that I can do it.
Truly, family ties are strong because in it, we find life. This is such a profound and accurate statement because in Mallama Halimat Sanni (Nee Musa Ekpoki), I have continued to find the true meaning of family ties.
In a simpler form, she is my mother, and this is the role that she has continued to act admirably in my life since I was born into the family as one of the grandsons of the great one, Mallam Idrisu ‘Idi’ Ekpoki.
Proudly and profoundly, she calls me ‘my blood.’
One just needs to listen to Halimat. She is an oasis of inspiration. Although married to a Yoruba man from Saki, Oyo State, her passion for her place of birth, Udochi, is unbelievable. She is always willing to participate in anything that has to do with her place of birth, Udochi and this is a profound example for us where in this era, many offsprings do not want anything to do with the places of their births, unfortunately.
However, this serves as a poignant reminder to us that no matter where we go to, ‘home is home’ because it is in the home that you find a family, a family that will never abandon you nor turn its back on you matter what.
Honestly, in many ways, Halimat seems an obvious candidate as a living Saint and rightly so!
My brilliant and adorable mother, Halimat, as we celebrate our three (3) years as friends on the social media platform of Facebook on this day, but more than five (5) decades of a mother and son relationship, this little and inadequate piece is to send a clear message of appreciation to you for all that you have been to me and my family.
Thank you for holding my little hands always by your kind advice, moral and spiritual support. Thank you for exhibiting the kindness and goodness of your heart for us whenever you have the opportunity.
Thank you for being an example of brilliance and intelligence for us. Thank you for all the unforgettable conversations that we always have, which are always given, sincerely and honestly.
May Allah continue to support you with His unfailing presence especially in your moments of difficulties. Amen.
And may the joy of your marriage and family life be fulfilled in the life of your children.
Thank you for being my brilliant and adorable mother that I am always proud of!
Na me
Your son
Mark Oshioke (Domark) Osabomeh
Holy (Maundy) Thursday, March 28, 2024