Mentoring 63m Students — Untold Story Of Late Sheikh Dahiru Bauchi’s Uncommon Feats

The family of the late renowned Islamic scholar, Sheikh Dahiru Usman Bauchi, who died last month November, has told President Bola Tinubu that their late father mentored, guided, and commanded the loyalty of over 63 million Muslims across Nigeria and beyond during his lifetime.

Speaking on behalf of the 820-member Dahiru Bauchi family, the successor of the late cleric, Khalifa Sheikh Ibrahim Dahiru Bauchi, made this known on Saturday in Bauchi when President Tinubu paid them a condolence visit on Saturday following the passing of the respected Islamic leader.

According to Khalifa Ibrahim, for over 56 consecutive years, the late Sheikh Dahiru Bauchi organised between five and 10 annual Islamic gatherings, each attracting millions of followers, disciples, students, adherents, devotees, and admirers, numbering more than 63 million.

He emphasised that despite commanding such a massive following, there was no record in Nigeria’s history from 1969 to 2025, that late Sheikh Dahiru Bauchi ever instigated violence, unrest, or chaos.

A formal message from the family, read by Dr. Bashir Dahiru Bauchi expressed profound appreciation to President Tinubu for personally visiting the family and for earlier delegating top government officials to represent him during the funeral and burial rites of their father on Friday, November 28, 2025.

“All 820 family members of Shaykh Dahiru Usman Bauchi, OFR, his 82 surviving children, and his more than 63 million followers, disciples, students, devotees, adherents, and lovers sincerely welcome you and appreciate your unswerving loyalty and compassion in this moment of grief,” they told President.

The family also commended the President for sending the Vice President, Senator Kashim Shettima; the National Security Adviser, Mallam Nuhu Ribadu; the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Yusuf Maitama Tuggar, and the Minister of Health, Professor Muhammad Ali Pate, to honour the late scholar during the funeral.

Reflecting on his life, the family described Sheikh Dahiru Bauchi as a man who lived 101 years, five months, and three days, dedicating his life to faith, education, peace, unity, and service to humanity.

They disclosed that the late cleric fathered 100 children – 50 males and 50 females – out of whom 82 are alive, adding that 84 of his children (42 males and 42 females) memorised the Holy Qur’an, a feat the family described as unprecedented.

The family further revealed that Sheikh Dahiru Bauchi’s lineage comprises 512 grandchildren and 206 great-grandchildren, bringing the total family population to 820 members, which they described as one of the largest single-family lineages in the world.

They also noted that Sheikh Dahiru Bauchi produced over 400 Qur’anic memorisers within his family alone, cutting across children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren.

According to the family, the late cleric performed Hajj and Umrah consecutively from 1960 to 2023, making a total of 303 pilgrimages believed to be the highest ever by any individual.

They added that for 56 consecutive years, he organised special national prayers for peace, unity, and divine protection for Nigeria, and conducted Ramadan Tafsir sessions for about 75 consecutive years, from 1948 to 2023.

“He was the brain behind the creation of Federal Government Girls’ Colleges. He was the brain behind the performance of the opening & closing prayers before & after some of the functions, meetings, gatherings and occasions in 1969.

“He was the brain behind the sending of Islamic clerics to support & guide Nigerian pilgrims in Mecca and Madina. Sir, he was one of the pioneers in 1969,” the family told Tinubu during the visit.

The family formally presented five requests to President Tinubu which included the upgrading of Sheikh Dahiru Bauchi’s national honour award from OFR to GCON, a special presidential dinner for his 82 surviving children and a demand of federal government’s sponsorship of a 500-page biography documenting his life and legacy.

Other demands included enhanced support for the 1,000 Qur’anic schools he established across Nigeria and parts of Africa as well as the naming of a Federal Government-owned institution or national monument after the late Sheikh Dahiru Usman Bauchi.