By Na’ima Musa Umar
Monday’s congratulatory visits by delegations from the Tijjaniya Shura Council and the Qadiriyya movement revolved around matters that transcend ceremony itself: peace, counsel, responsibility and sincere prayers for the enduring peace and flourishing of Kano State and the nation.
Yet, beyond the formal exchanges and thoughtful conversations, another quiet scene unfolded.
The delegations had already taken their seats around the long table before the arrival of Alhaji Murtala Sule Garo. As they rose in greeting, he did not proceed directly to his seat. Instead, he made his way around the table, greeting each member individually before taking his place.
It was a modest gesture, one that could easily have escaped notice. Perhaps that is precisely why it deserved it.
Those who have followed his engagements over time may find the scene a familiar one not an isolated occurrence. At condolence visits, wedding Fatiha ceremonies, courtesy calls, hospital visits and official functions of every description, the same quiet inclination appears with remarkable consistency, seemingly untouched by distinctions of prominence, material standing or social station.
There is a subtle etiquette that often gathers around high office, creating an unspoken distance between those who hold it and those who approach it. Every so often, however, small and unassuming gestures gently narrow that distance. It is easy to occupy a position; it is altogether different to prevent that position from occupying you.
After receiving words of counsel and goodwill, the Deputy Governor responded with a simple appeal: prayers for the success of the administration and for lasting peace, stability and prosperity across Kano State and the nation.
Monday’s proceedings will inevitably yield their place to other engagements, other meetings and other headlines. Yet memory has its own peculiar habits. It often retains not the centrepiece but the detail that seemed too modest to compete for attention.
Perhaps, years from now, what survives will be that simple image of the Deputy Governor entering the room and making his way to the people before taking his seat.
And every now and then, something as ordinary as a handshake says more than a carefully polished speech ever could.