Shettima Alkali shows class as GOCOMAID ’82 set converged in Maiduguri to honour Kaumi Imam’s daughter’s wedding
Shettima Alkali shows class as GOCOMAID ’82 set converged in Maiduguri to honour Kaumi Imam’s daughter’s wedding
Saturday, November 25, 2023, 41 years after the 1982 set of Government College Maiduguri bade bye to the school that groomed them to face the world and be what they are today, was a day they all will live to remember as some of them gathered in Maiduguri to honour one of them, Alhaji Kaumi Imam, who gave out his daughter, A’isha Kaumi (aka Ya Mallam), in marriage.
A’isha Kaumi Imam, a final year (500 level) Environmental Biology undergraduate of the University of Maiduguri got wedded to her beloved, Lawan Mohammed Kareto, a staff of the university, for a dowry of ₦500,000.
Among those from the 1982 set who attended the marriage Fatiha that took place at the residence of the Imam Laisu Ibrahim Ahmed, the Borno State Chief Imam, in Shehuri North, Limanti Street, Maiduguri where Modu Adijami, Chori Aminami, Aisami Bukar, Shettima Alkali and Baba Ali Yusuf.
Others are Prince Mam Yerima, Mohammed Mai Luku (Terror), Baba Ali Abdullahi, Alhaji Saidu, District Head Dumba Lawan, Mohammed Maigari Liti, Hussaini Gimba and Liman Shettima.
However, what impressed all Government College Maiduguri Alumni, not only those of the 1982 set, was how Shettima Alkali, whose father, Khadi Kaka Shehu Imam, a one-time Grand Khadi of Borno State, who died on 25 of September, this year,, took it upon himself to not only shoulder the marriage ceremony but hosted all the former students who came from their various towns.
To make the ceremony even more memorable, he sent transport money to all old students who wanted to attend and then followed that by hosting them in hotels and feeding them throughout their stay.
It is a known fact that God in His wisdom has set everyone on his destined path and so after leaving school, some classmates’ fates regarding worldly fortunes tend to vary as some fall behind.
It is about this that he gifted each of the over twenty old mates that came ₦100,000 each. This gift was even extended to those who were not there, especially those whose ill health or important issues did not allow them to attend.
Mohammed Mai Luku revealed to Neptune Prime that “Shettima’s generosity is legendary because daily, his house in Maiduguri is filled up with indigents and displaced people to whom he gave palliatives, in cash and foodstuff.”
Another old boy, Liman Shettima, said “Some people even sleep outside his house if it was late so that the next day they will receive their palliatives from him, while some people collect number tags and return the next day.”
Maiduguri, the capital of Borno State, is still reeling from the devastation visited on it and many other local governments of the state by the Boko Haram insurgency lasting over a decade.
Hundreds of thousands of people have been displaced and hunger as a result of excruciating poverty hangs over the people like the Sword of Damocles.
The state government is doing its best to ameliorate the suffering of the people but no doubt Governor Umara Zulum will appreciate philanthropists like Shettima Alkali to complement his efforts.