Late Governor Mala Kachalla Of Borno State (Born in 1941, Died 2007).

Written By Ali Alhaji.

His. Excellency Mala Kachalla generally known as Baa Mala (as he was fondly called)was born in 1941 in the city of Maiduguri, the capital of Borno state Nigeria and he lived in Fezzan ward of Maiduguri Metropolitan Council Area.

Late Alhaji Mala Kachalla was a leader of great repute who always preached peace during his life time and we are yet to get that peace in Borno State few years after his transition to the great beyond.

His style of leadership was unique and should be emulated by all youths in Borno State and continue with his great message of peace extending all nook and crannies of the Country especially Borno State.
A great Leader has gone.

Mala Kachalla was elected as governor of Borno State in April 1999, running for the All People’s Party (APP), which was renamed All Nigeria People’s Party (ANPP) due to a factional split. His election was finaced by himself because he was a rich man even before joining politics.

He was one of the earliest multi-millionaires in Maiduguri alongside his brother Mustafa Kachalla and Engineer Ibrahim M. Ali (A father –in-law to the son of Late General Murtala Muhammad the former head of state of Nigeria ) and a name-sake to the great late Ibrahim Imam..

He Was Sympathetic and caring:
“During his tenure in 2001 there was an outbreak of Quail birds destroying crops in the rural farmlands of Borno state ,which lead to the award of contract by the state government in order to fight these birds and the process lead to the hiring of Helicopters to fight these destructive birds with pesticides,but in the process of executing this contract the Contractor brought in some of these birds as samples to the Government house Maiduguri in order for him to have a clear glimpse of how these destructive birds looks like.

Ordinarily and under normal circumstance such birds are destroyed after such inspection or observations. But surprisingly Mala Kachalla instructed his staff to feed the birds after the inspection/observation as they are no longer in the farmlands where they can feed themselves or could destroy the crops in the farmland.

Hence he made these birds lived a very happy live in the Government house of Maiduguri simply because they have been taken out of their natural environment where they can survive.”

Policies & Legacies:
In August 2000, the state of Borno under the leadership of Mala Kachalla adopted the sharia legal system.

He build one of the first set of the state government sponsored Almajiri/Quranic schools in Borno state.

His favorite fruit was “Ngurrli” a Cucumber fruit native to Borno state and his role model was Alhaji Muhammad Goni (former governor of Borno state before him) and late Alhaji Mai Deribe who remains his Boss and friend until he later died in Makah, Saudi Arabia in 2002.

People love Mala Kachalla because Mala Kachalla loves and practice peace.

Alhaji Mala Kachalla worked with great and very strong politicians during his tenure in office among such includes Alhaji Bashir Dungus who was then his Chairman for the Borno state Primary Education Board, Alhaji MaKintami who happens to be his commissioner for Education and El-Nur Dongel as well as Alibe, Shettima Abba and others.

In September 2002 Mala Kachalla said there were conflicting border claims in the Lake Chad area, and that Nigeria was losing control of some island villages there.

He said there was no clear cut demarcation between Borno, Chad and Cameroon , and that the region was plagued by armed rebels and trafficking in illicit arms and children.

The former Governor of Borno state Alhaji Kashim Shettima, renamed the Hausari Model Primary School after the late Alhaji Dr. Mala Kachalla (Who was the fourth Executive Governor of Borno State) the colourful event was attended by family, friends, relatives and political associates of the late Governor.
With this development, the school will be known as Mala Kachallah Memorial Primary School.

The event was organized by the Committee on Resuscitation of Primary and Junior Secondary Schools in Borno State, headed by Dr. Muhammad El-Nur Dongel who was once a commissioner under the Alhaji Mala Kachalla administration .

In attendance in the occasion was also the Shehu of Born.
The younger brother of the late Governor Engr. Ibrahim M. Ali also spoke on behalf of the family of the late Governor and thanked Mr. Shettima for the immortalizing the deceased.He said the honour was the best thing that has ever happen to the family since the demise of Mala.

Kachalla died at his home in Maiduguri, Nigeria the April 18, 2007, after a brief illness.

He was 66 years old at the time of his death.

Since his death 10 years ago Alhaji Mala Kachalla is always remembered alongside with Late Shehu Mustafa Umar-Ibn-Elkanemi and Alhaji Mai Deribe if you mentioned the word peace in the present day volatile city of Maiduguri or Borno state as whole! In short some call him “Mala Mara Nelefaye” in the local Kanuri Dialect or Captain of Peace in English.

Rest in peace Alhaji Mala Kachalla.