An appeal fund to support 84-year-old ace Hausa female singer, Magajiya Dambatta, has been launched by the Editor-in-Chief of DAILY NIGERIAN newspaper, Jaafar Jaafar and a renowned development worker, Musa Abdullahi Sufi.
Other trustees are Ibrahim Sanyi-Sanyi and Dr Ibrahim Musa.
Magajiya Ɗambatta, one of the Hausa singers who rose to stardom in the 1970s to 1980s, has been forgotten until Mr Jaafar unearthed her through his Facebook page.
In his Facebook page on Monday, Mr Jaafar revealed how the old singer had been left in a lurch and at the mercy of alms-begging at her country home, Makoda in Kano State.
Mr Jaafar wrote: “I met with 84-year-old Magajiya Dambatta today at her home in Makoda, Kano. When I posted an old video of her stage performance yesterday, a friend at Radio Kano, Munzali Hausawa, told me she is still alive.
“I drove for about 70km today to meet this star, now dimmed by age. Magajiya, who is now blind, ekes out a living by begging for alms in the village. Her melodic voice now slightly blunt, she remixed some of her famous songs.
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“The lead drummer Ya’u Nakuki and the sub-drummer (Dankuntukuru) are dead, but most of the young choristers are alive.
“According to a note written on the LP of her songs by a former managing director of Radio Kano, Adamu Salihu, one of her advocacy songs, has helped in boosting school enrolment in the early 70s by over 3,000 pupils In Kano.
“I believe some of those pupils, whose parents were inspired by her songs, are professors today.
“But Magajiya lives in abject poverty. In Nigeria, this is how fame and stardom rise and fall like the effervescence of Andrew’s Liver Salt.”
Mr Jaafar’s post seemed to have stirred up emotions in many Nigerians as, in his second post on the matter, he revealed that a lot of people had reached out to him indicating interest to make some donations to that effect.
He said: “I received telephone calls, messages and tags from friends in torrents tonight, indicating their interest to donate to Magajiya Dambatta.
“A renowned development worker with over 20 years of experience in humanitarian service, Musa Abdullahi Sufi, has volunteered to provide the account of a foundation (where he is a member of the board of trustees).
“He will furnish Dr Ibrahim Musa and I with the daily update on the donations, and I will in turn publish the development here.
“The target is to rebuild her house, provide clothing materials, food, etc. Let’s see how far we can go!”
DAILY NIGERIAN reports that almost 48 hours after the setting up of the fund-raising, about N402,300 had been received.
Mr Jaafar noted that quite a number of persons had contributed for the cause.
He, however, stated that the foundation is yet to gather the desired amount that would be used for Ɗambatta’s upkeep, health care and renovation of her house.
