One of the frontline Hausa musical icons, Dan Maraya Jos is dead. He died on Satyraday in Jos at the age of 69.
His close friend and associate, Mallam Ladan Salihu, a zonal director at the Federal Radio Corporation of Nigeria,announced his death in Jos yesterday.
Dan Maraya Jos has won a string of awards, clearly he was the most celebrated artiste from the northern part of Nigeria. His awards include the United Nations Medal of Recognition in 1982 and 1984 respectively. He is also a 1990 Nigerian Music Awards winner. “The Little Orphan of Jos” has not only been conferred with the Nigerian national honour of Member of the Order of the Niger (MON), he has been conferred with a PhD honoris causa degree in Law by the University of Jos. He is also the recipient of the United Nations Peace Award.
According to Salihu, the musician’s last known public performance was at the Peoples Democratic Party’s fund-raising dinner in Abuja before the 2015 general election, “where he performed brilliantly and earned handshakes of the then President, Dr Goodluck Jonathan and other dignitaries at the event after his performance. His death has thrown a number of his fans into deep mourning.
