"Today, we pay tribute to a great teacher and leader- the late Imam Dauda Bello. I remember his wisdom and devotion towards family and friends. He was greatly committed to peace, tolerance, and universal human rights. He was also full of compassion for the vulnerable."
President Margee Ensign spoke those words while leading tributes and eulogies to honor Imam Dauda Bello, who died last year. The late Imam Dauda Bello was a member of the Adamawa Peacemakers Initiative (API), the association of prominent religious and community leaders in Adamawa state actively committed to peacebuilding and human development.
Before his death in 2021, the late Imam Dauda Bello was an inspiring Muslim cleric, a veteran in his advocacy for peace under the Adamawa State Peace Initiative (API) and the Nigeria Inter-Religious Council. He taught languages and linguistics as an instructor at the American University of Nigeria. The late Dauda Bello was, above all, a loving father & friend to many, and was passionate about selfless service to the community. “We are obsessed with Peace” is Imam Dauda Bello’s famous quote and he devoted his life in the light of that philosophy.
President Ensign led the AUN Community, academic leaders, API members, and the family of Imam Dauda Bello in a candlelight remembrance inside the library auditorium on Tuesday, March 15, 2022. Notable API members came to pay their respects to a highly respected colleague. They include the Catholic Bishop of Yola and the Adamawa State Chairman of the Christian Association of Nigeria, the Most Reverend Dr. Stephen Dami Mamza; a representative of the National Vice President of the Muslim Council of Nigeria, Alhaji Gambo Jika; Bishop Ransom Stephen of the Horn of Hope Vision for Peace and Community Development of Nigeria (HOHVIPAD), and others.
About the man she described as a friend, colleague, and associate on peace projects and humanitarian missions, President Ensign said:
"I remember when he said that we are obsessed with peace after meeting with some IDPs during the peak of the Boko Haram crisis. Those words became our motivation. They were not only important to Dauda and me but also to every member of the API during those challenging times.
The President said that due to the work and commitment of members like Imam Dauda Bello, API was able to feed and cater for over 300,000 IDPs before help was received from outsiders. API also had educated at least 22,000 out-of-school kids while initiating the reconciliation of returning IDPs in their communities.
"I just want everyone here, especially his family, to know that Imam Dauda's legacy lives on as we continue to grow in peace and tolerance and support the vulnerable members of our community."
The late Imam's first daughter, Laila Ahmed, fought back the tears as she paid tribute to her father.
"I'm so grateful to stand here and tell you that I had as a father, someone to admire, respect and learn from. It is a blessing to have such a wonderful man as a father. Out of the 38 children he raised, only 18 of us were his biological offspring. He was generous and helpful, even to strangers. To say we love him would be an understatement and to say we miss him is an even greater understatement. Considering his passion for peace and community development, we have decided to honor his memories and legacies by continuing in his peace projects and support programs."
Mrs. Laila is following in her late father's footsteps; she is a faculty at the AUN School of Arts and Sciences and has signed up to join the API to continue her father's good work for the good of the community.
One of his sons, Mohammad Dauda Bello, said his father's inspiring words and actions will always echo with him through his life's journey.
"My father will always tell me, ‘Live your life like a candle, burn yourself and give light to others and that light will definitely come back to you.’"
Bishop Mamza, who worked closely with the deceased, commended President Ensign's initiative in organizing the memorial. He extolled Imam Dauda's exemplary life. "The late Imam deserves this great honor. He was an exceptional man who never discriminated against persons based on religion or ethnicity, and I believe this is what our nation needs."
Other notable personalities who paid tribute to Imam Dauda Bello were the Provost and Vice President of Academic Affairs, Professor Attahiru Yusuf, who had known the late cleric from their days in school, and who described him as an educationist par excellence and a peaceful man who is averse to disagreements; and Bishop Ransom Stephen, who celebrated Imam Dauda's dignity, urbanity, and friendship across divides.
Reported by Tina Bitrus