If certainly, one knows when he is going to die, one will do everything possible in other to ensure that his lord is pleased with him when he or she meets him. Indeed, no one knows the next minutes of his life as that alone is for the creator.
As I pen this down, my heart is heavy with a lot of memories and sad mode on hearing the demise of a vibrant and down to earth, jovial and lively sister ever produced by Kogi State University Anyigba, a sister who is ever known by everyone in the circle of Muslim Students Society of Nigeria, KSU Chapter. A sister who is ever ready to learn and take correction made friends easily and share her heartfelt moment with everyone, who is easily ready to be better than her yesterday.
Death Indeed is inevitable, everyone has death already soon to visit, it is just a matter of how, when, and where. I am really saddened by your demise, death indeed has taken hold of our sister, death spread her wings yesternight and our sister is among those he visited, death indeed sent a letter of communication and our sister followed immediately and everyone is placed in a sober reflection mode. Indeed, death is a reminder, everyone indeed shall taste death.
Our dear sister who just kicked the bucket, Abubakar Fatimah Fitumi, May Allah have mercy upon you and widen your grave and make your abode a beautiful one. It is just like yesterday when I met you among all the other vibrant brothers and sisters in Kogi State University who MSSN joined us together in a single firm family. Meeting the Late Fatimah at the Faculty of Arts and Humanities sometime in December 2016, who was then a student of English and Literary Studies while I was a student of History and International Studies, at times I do go to their classes just to hear their lecturer speaks since I was a fan of good novels and a catching literary environment, she became someone who I took as a blood sister due to some of the challenges she faced then from all ramifications, and standing by her is something I was passionate about. She shared a lot of literary write-up with me the one she has read explaining to me some of the sophisticated writers of the literary world which made me be rest assured in buying books to read, and we widely share ideas and thought on the writers we have read which translate in enriching our knowledge literarily.
I can remember vividly close to our final year examination when I met her on the road that leads to Inikpi Hostel, she was pale and tired, I could sense that from her, not until she narrated her ordeals to me about her project that her Supervisor was making the whole thing tiring her and she is started losing hope of the long essay project, I gave her an assurance that no worry, this is just a face you will pass, it is just a matter of time, with few time forward, you will look back and be glad that you did not quite.
Many times, the ever zealous and simple and full of laughter late Fatmah exhibited, anytime you encounter her, be it in the student Mosque, Central Mosque, MSSN Congress, at the faculty, etc, she is ever wearing a lively face, without any form of bad mode, anytime she wears a tiresome or unhappy mode activated, that means the such issue has gotten hold of her. She is someone everyone likes to be with due to her simple and easy approach to things. I could remember when the time to serve her fatherland, National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), I called her to ascertain which state she was posted to, she made me understand and said “I was posted to a Yoruba state of Ekiti, I don’t need to relocate since it is not that far from Lagos State, unlike you who is posted to Biafran State” we just laughed it out.
Today, we have been glued in saying farewell to a dutiful sister, a diligent friend, a compassionate lady, a people person I fondly call her, someone who does not take things for granted, I remember every time and then, when she always asking about the Poetry Anthology I edited and how her poem got into the entry, and about the progress of it, how she took the pain in making sure that the anthology sees the light of the day. Late Fatimah believed in delivering the task assigned to her without delay.
Your death, Abubakar Fatima Fitumi, indeed is a pain, your chapter has closed, but then what can we do, you are at the forefront in propagating Islam while at the campus, whose passion, time, energy, and commitment are mixed in serving Islam. The memory shared with you among all others trying to be better and now in the body of the grave cannot be quantified.
The last chat with her was when on January 1st 2023 informing her of my launching my NGO, and all she could say was, In Sha Allah (If Allah wills), barely 24 hours, we are just hearing of her demise, indeed no one knows tomorrow. I pray Allah to have mercy on her and be pleased with her and forgive all her shortcomings. (Ameen)
– Momoh Ayuba Danjumah (Pen-Chant)
