The world is a stage and all the men and women are mere players. They have their exits and their entrances and one man in his time Plays many parts……
Williams Shakespeare –As you like it.
This popular and enduring saying of world’s foremost literary giant of all times is a constant reminder of the fact that life is not an everlasting gift or possession; what actually is, is one’s donations to life itself that matter and endure forever. It is they that will make the people you left behind to immortalise your name and memories in their consciousness; and that of those generations that have heard about your impactful legacies from them.
Alh. Tanko Talle is a rare being, an honour, humility and pellucid integrity personified. He served the Local Government Secondary School, Kabawa, and Education Secretary of Lokoja local government area council passionately; and with deep sense of loyalty, dedication and commitment. He was the principal of LGSS Kabawa for several years. And under his leadership, the academic standard, students and teachers discipline, and of course, reputation of the school rose appreciably to an enviable height, not only in the whole of Lokoja, but throughout the length and breath of the state in general.
In extra-curricular activities such as soccer, Press Club, Drama Club, athletics, literary and debate activities, the LGSS’ name rang a bell with deafening sounds clear and loud enough for the deaf to hear. The numerous laurels won by the school outstanding representatives in their outings are eloquent testimonies to the sterling leadership of this principal of all principals; who is not just an astute administrator, but a mentor and father figure to all his students. It was in recognition of these impressive and intimidating qualities of this great man and silent achiever, no doubt, that the then government of kogi state honoured him as the then E•S.
I can never forget Alhaji Tanko Talle’s words of encouragement while in an assembly ground. More so, the intensity of his laughable usual choice of word in Hausa “Sha-Sha-Sha” when upset at the assembly ground which usually came up between 8:00.am – 8:30.am 20 minutes for the school updates and the remaining one for counselling on what we would likely meet outside the school as we were exiting to a larger world. These talks really helped finalists in no small measure. No wonder products of LGSS, Kabawa, are among the ‘Who is Whos’ in the high strata of our society today. We have them in the top echelons of the military and academia -countless Docotors, PhD.holders and school principals. We have top-ranking journalists, legal luminaries, great bankers, ministry staff, captains of industries, successful business moguls and politicians of remarkable reckoning.
Mall Tanko Talle is a perfect gentleman, a distinguished and detribalised Nigerian, a devout muslim with high sense of religious tolerance. Our venerable principal gave Christian students ample opportunities to practise their religion freely. Looking at the nature of the school, There was a class in such a Islamic society-established for Christian students to worship and use for their religions programmes and celebrations.
Sai Baba, as we used to call him, ensured that there was a Christian leader among the school prefects, who was not denied any of the privileges and benefits enjoyed by other prefects – an uncommon height of tolerance among our bigot religious leaders then and now. For this, Mall Tanko Talle, definitely lives forever! Many children of influential Lokojans spoilt by their parents’ opulence and the polluted kabawa environment were rescued from becoming a nuisance to our society by this unique school administrator of our time. He removed these kids from the eldorado created around them by their parents in kabawa and other parts of the environ and got them admitted even without full payment of enrollment.
During his era, lessons were organised for students after school hours, handled by selected matured, brilliant and morally upright student-teachers. Moral instructions were also taught to them. No wander most of them are now great and responsible citizens of not Lokoja alone, but the entire nation at large; because of the opportunities they had to drink from the deep and impactful well of Alhaji Tanko Talle unique academic wizardry and uncommon spirit of magnanimity to positively shape the future of younger generations.
May Allah continue to bless you, your children and entire members of your family.
Abbas Yahaya writes from kabawa
