Congratulations Yusuf Malanta, Customs Assistant Comptroller General, by Dr Geidam

Congratulations Yusuf Malanta, Customs Assistant Comptroller General, by Dr Geidam

I recently read in Neptune Prime the promotions in the Nigerian Customs Service (NCS) and one of the names I saw was that of Yusuf Malanta, that was promoted to Assistant Comptroller General.

READ ALSO: Shake-up in customs as Yusuf Malanta, Bomai, Jybo promoted acting ACG’s

I am sure the Yusuf Malanta in this news was my classmate, friend and brother of over four decades. We started Government Secondary School Geidam in 1978 and we were in the same class, precisely Form 1C.

To say he is a brilliant officer is an understatement as he shared positions of either 1st, 2nd or 3rd with me and Steven Towe, with strong challenges of displacement by Beatrice Obukwo, Mwajim Alassa and Markus Katsalla coming 4th, 5th, 6th or one of the three top positions alternatingly. When we came for first term form one in 1978, I got the first shock of my life as Ibrahim Yusuf Malanta recited _Arbauna Hadith_.

That truly baffled and surprised me.
As a conservative young Maiduguri city boy (almajiri) I ignorantly thought there was nothing someone at our level knew that those of us who went to Mafoni Primary and Goni Kiliya Sangaya schools didn’t know, especially those from suburban towns like Nguru, where Malanta hailed from.

We, from Mafoni and Lawan Bukar, were truly well grounded in both western and Islamic scholarship. While I could recite verses of the glorious Quran beyond my level of _Juz Amma_ through my modest childhood photographic memory by listening to seniors reciting at Goni Kiliya Sangaya in Lawan Bukar, Hadith was not taught for memorisation even to seniors until years after _zuwu_ (ceremony marking the complete memorisation of the entire glorious Quran) in those days!

Ibrahim Malanta, apart from threatening us in taking 1st, sometimes 2nd (to my coming first), or at worst times 3rd, he also knew reciting the Makkan surahs in tajweed. This was way beyond what we knew in Maiduguri sangaya schools, except possibly Hausari Islamiya schools. I still feel this has edge over me in that respect, even after memorising many hadiths at school (in IRK) and with home teachers.

We both went to different schools to complete our secondary education successfully, only to meet at Unimaid again in 1983. We completed different four year programmes at the same time in 1988.

He can be the Comptroller General of Customs In Shaa Allah! I salute my friend, my brother, Ibrahim Yusuf Malanta, on his well deserved elevation in the Nigerian Customs to the prestigious rank of Assistant Comptroller General (ACG).

Dr Matawalli Ajagana Geidam is an Associate Professor of Biochemistry, Faculty of Science, Borno State University, Maiduguri and can be reached at matawalligeidam@gmail.com.