Ya Allah! Lord of the heavens and the earth! Master of Majesty and Honor! The Turner of hearts, the Knower of secrets, the Giver of Rizq (sustenance) without limit—this is our appeal to You, the All-Seeing, the All-Hearing, the Most Just, the Most Merciful.
O Allah! Gaskiya Corporation Limited of Zaria, a legacy of light, knowledge, culture, and Da’awah in Northern Nigeria, now languishes in abandonment, choked by the apathy of the powerful and the neglect of its very own. You know its history, O Lord—the books it printed, the youth it employed, the communities it uplifted. You know, Ya Rabb, how its presses once roared with the voices of Islam, education, truth, and heritage.
Ya Allah, today Gaskiya sits in silence.
Even those who dwell within its walls—the National Board for Arabic and Islamic Studies—see no worth in patronizing it. They rent the premises, yet take their printing outside. Neighbors in Zaria prefer to send their jobs to Kaduna. Strangers benefit, while the home-born legacy fades.
O Allah, all efforts have been made—You are our Witness. We sought help from Governor Uba Sani of Kaduna, but our pleas hung unanswered in the air. We sent to him the respected Senator Sule Hunkuyi; we met with his Chief of Staff. We met his Commissioner of Education, presented our approved primary school textbooks, endorsed by the National Educational Research and Development Council—but no word returned.
Ya Rabb! We knocked on the doors of the powerful—Dr. Abbas Tajuddeen, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, the son of Zaria. Our emissary, Senator Sule Hunkuyi, returned with sacks of promises—sacks we still wait to see. Perhaps they fell off the donkey of bureaucracy, or were swallowed by the potholes of forgetfulness.
We remembered those who rose by Gaskiya’s grace—like Alhaji Aliko Mohammed. He said, “I am what I am because of Gaskiya.” He promised ₦100 million, then offered to buy 60% of the company. The eagle never landed. The cheque never came.
We sought help from Malam Mamman Daura to intervene with northern Governors on behalf of the company. He, too offered to buy shares. From him, met General Aliyu Gusau, pleading for intervention with Zamfara State. I am from Zamfara myself. Saw the Governors of Katsina and jigawa states.I pleaded with ministers of education, with the Universal Basic Education Commission, with the Nigerian Teachers’ Institute. O Allah, these are just a few, Allah, You’re aware for nothing is secret from you. Two years have passed— promised but not fulfilled.
O Allah, only You have not turned away.
Only You have not left our appeals unread. Only You remember every meeting, every signature sought, every door knocked. You see the silence of the Emir of Zazzau, once a friend of Gaskiya, now distant. You know how we cherished the golden era under his father’s time, and how things turned cold—for reasons only You, O Lord of Secrets, know.
Ya Allah, we thank You for those who stood firm: Emir of Argungu, Dr. Samaila Mera, Chairman of Hulhulde, A.A. Rano, Al-Minshawii. You put barakah in their hearts and hands to keep Gaskiya afloat. But they too are mortals with limits.
So, we come to You, O Allah. We raise our hands in helplessness and hope. We beg You to breathe life into Gaskiya Corporation Limited, Zaria. Raise helpers from unexpected places. Move the hearts of kings and ministers, of technocrats and businessmen, of scholars and governors. Make them see what Gaskiya was, and what it can be.
Ya Allah, we are not beggars before men—we are servants before You.
You are Al-Mughni (The Enricher), Al-Fattah (The Opener), Al-Razzaq (The Provider). Open doors for us that we cannot even imagine. Grant Gaskiya a revival that no man or jinn can stop. Make it again a beacon of truth, learning, and Islamic renaissance in West Africa.
And if there are sins—ours or others—that block our dua, forgive us, Ya Rabb. Purify our intentions and grant us tawfeeq to continue the struggle with sincerity and hope.
We are not quitters. By Allah, we will not quit. Even if the world turns its back, we will press forward—one page, one book, one prayer at a time.
HasbunAllahu wa ni’mal Wakeel. Ni’mal Mawla wa Ni’man Naseer.
Ameen, Ya Rabb al-‘Alameen.
Mande Faru is the Managing Director/CEO of Gaskiya Corporation Limited Zaria
