Nigeria, April 8 -- The news of the sudden death of the late governor of old Kano state, now Kano and Jigawa states, Alhaji Mohammed Abubakar Rimi, at first, came to me as a fascinating tall tale from the tunnel of Tophet. It sounded surreal, like a dream. But the harbinger of the cheerless news was not a frivolous source by any means. Mallam Abdulkadir Ahmed Ibrahim had a solid and unblemished reputation as a professional broadcast journalist who, over the years, called to intimate me, as he often does, whenever an event of shared concern or a portentous incident occurs.

His demise quickly bounced on me like an apparition. His death was saddening. It was a tragic WHY - just a three letter word, but one that insists on an answer. When Ri...