Tributes: Dr. Madu Garga Mailafiya, 1942–2024

Tributes: Dr. Madu Garga Mailafiya, 1942–2024

By: Balami Lazarus 

I was with him in his residence in Maiduguri three weeks before he passed away, on February 18, 2024. Dr. Madu Garga Mailafiya was looking fine and in good, healthy condition. There was no sign of a final good-bye this time around in my mind. 

Dr. Madu and I had a long discussion on the state of the nation and some contemporary issues and ended with Zaria/Samaru nostalgia as a lecturer at Ahmadu Bello University (ABU) Zaria in the 1970s, where Mailafiya taught mass media. Unknowingly to us both, death was lurking around.     

On March 29th, 2024, I was again at No. 30 Bukar Dapcharima Road, Old GRA Maiduguri, his residence, for the 40th day of prayers, where prayers were offered for the repose of his gentle soul. 

Dr. Madu Garga Mailafiya was born on October 12, 1942, in Gwaski, Sakwa district of Hawul Local Government Area of Borno State. Having schooled both at home and abroad, he became an ace journalist and broadcaster who had worked in various capacities in the electronic media sector and ended his career in retirement as Executive Director of News with the Nigerian Television Authority (NTA) in Abuja. 

Testimonies and tributes said of him portray him as a good man with a large heart who has contributed to the human and capital development of his community. He was 81 and survived by his children and grandchildren. 

Balami, a publisher and columnist.

Tributes: Dr. Madu Garga Mailafiya, 1942–2024