By Comrade Abubakar El-Biddeen
Late Mallam Haruna Dauda Biu’s death is not just a personal loss but a great reminder of the way a system discarded of its own. Mallam Haruna Dauda Biu was a seasoned journalist who devoted over three decades of his life to service, working tirelessly, with passion and integrity. But when he fell seriously ill for more than a year on a wheelchair, it was the very organization with which he was so proud to be identified that turned its back upon him. There was not even a gesture of support, no economic or moral aid, no even gesture of concern to his family. He just vanished from their minds. Such desertion is not only sorrowful but scandalous. It shows how easily individuals are discarded once they are no longer “useful.” Despite his illness, Late Mallam Haruna Dauda Biu kept on being generous, feeding children/orphans, hosting visitors, and managing his home with dignity. His humility and courage in the face of adversity made the silence of his former employers all, the more poignant to see.
While a selected group of compassionate colleagues and others stood by him and theirs is the humanity that should be admired, the corporation he worked for owes him more than tacit indifference. He died on a wheelchair, his body broken but his spirit abandoned by the same system he had worked so hard to contribute to. And even in death, he retained his dignity. His legacy of kindness, integrity, and service lives on, even though others who were once blessed by his service did the wrong thing and looked the other way. Late Mallam Haruna Dauda Biu was a truthful man. He was owed better. And though he is no longer in this world, his story is a powerful reminder that loyalty is owed kindness, not silence.
May God Almighty forgive his shortcomings, perfect his work and grant him Aljannatul Firsdausi….Ameeen.
