Tributes pour in for Dan Maraya Jos

Nigerians have continued to mourn the passing of veteran musician and performer, Dan Maraya Jos who died last Saturday after a protracted illness at B’ukur, a town near Jos, Plateau State. He was 69 years old.
A close friend and associate of the deceased, Ladan Salihu, Director General of the Federal Radio Corporation of Nigeria (FRCN) while breaking news of the musician’s death on his Facebook page, described Dan Maraya Jos as a brother and a friend wrote; “I am devastated. But I am proud he lived a very useful life, transforming society through music and silently through Islamic endeavours.”
Other Nigerians also expressed their condolences to the family of the late musician.

Former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar, expressed sadness and shock at the passing of the legendary musician. Atiku described him in a condolence message from his media office by Mazi Paul Ibe, as “an icon of our traditional music, and custodian of its culture and tradition.”


Speaker of the House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara, in a statement issued by his Special Adviser on Media and Public Affairs Turaki Hassan, said the North and indeed Nigeria has lost one of its most talented sons.

“Danmaraya‘s sudden death came to me as a shock and I want to use this medium to condole with the Danmaraya family, the government and people of Plateau State and all Nigerians over this irreparable loss”, the statement added.

“His death signals the exit of a great icon of African traditional music, a creative innovator in the Hausa musical genre and a great performer par excellence,” said Akin Adejuwon, the artistic director, National Troupe of Nigeria, describing his death as “a great loss to Nigerian traditional music and Africa as a whole.”

To Benson Idonije, a veteran broadcaster and newspaper columnist, the late musician was “a great musician whose place in the music firmament in Nigeria will be difficult to fill.”

Also, Dr. Austine Ananze Akpuda, a poet and senior lecturer in English Literature at the Abia State University, Uturu, described ‘Dan Maraya Jos’ death as a huge loss to Nigeria and the entire entertainment industry worldwide.

“As an artist who created a major brand for himself, he will be greatly missed not only by his biological family but also a network of other communities whose lives have been touched by his performances.”
Born Adamu Wayya in 1946 to a father who was a Hausa griot, he was left in the care of the Emir of B’ukur; his father’s patron, after losing his parents. He became famed for playing the Kontigi ‘a small stringed lute’ and adopted the name Dan Maraya Jos which means “the little orphan of Jos.”

A prolific composer, he sang about common people as is found in his first song, “Wakar Karen Mota”, which means Song of the Drivers Mate; probably his most popular song.
The song praises bus conductors, whose job it is to get passengers in and out of buses, do the dirty job of changing tires, push the bus when it breaks down and so on.

Though an orphan who did not know his parents, having lost them early in life, Dan Maraya achieved fame and fortune and was a recipient of the National Honours of MON, OON and United Nations Peace Medal.