Hon. Lukman Olukayode Ahmed Mourns the Demise of His Uncle, Alhaji Aliyu Alarape Salam (SAN)

Hon. Lukman Olukayode Ahmed Mourns the Demise of His Uncle, Alhaji Aliyu Alarape Salam (SAN)

...Tribute to the Exit of Legal Luminary per excellence, the Doyen of Ilorin Bar

It's was a great shock to hear the news of demise of my Uncle, Alhaji Aliyu Alarape Olanrewaju Salman (SAN).

This is a great loss to the entire family, Ilorin Emirate, Kwara State and Nigeria as a whole.

I joined millions of sympathizers, the entire family to commiserates with the Emir of Ilorin, Alhaji Ibrahim Zulkarnaini Gambari CFR, and my Boss, Leader and Mentor, His Excellency, Mallam AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq CON, the Executive Governor of Kwara State.

What to know about the deceased Uncle:

Alhaji Aliyu Alarape Salam SAN was a  remarkable

patriot, who by his intellect and character, has also

secure a favourable place for himself in the annals of llorin Emirate, Kwara State and, indeed, Nigeria as a whole.

Alhaji Aliyu Alarape Olanrewaju Salman, a fringe teacher, foremost lawyer, distinguished community leader and fascinating statesman, was born on November 9th,1942 to a family peopled by reputable Muslim scholars.

His Father was Shaikh Salman Ake,

who was conferred with the title of Muftideen by his Teacher and Mentor, Shaikh Taju-I-Adab.

This Mother hailed from the Masingba

lineage of the distinguished Imam - Male family of

llorin. As not unexpected, Alhaji Salman started his real life as a kindergarten pupil of a Qur'anic School at his place of birth, Abeokuta, the Capital of the present- day Ogun State,  where his father was based and from where he picked the description with which he was renowned for the rest of his life- Alfa Ake.

He wasconsequently enrolled as a pupil of the famous Nawairudeen Primary School, Abeokuta, 

where he had the foundation of his erudition in western styled learning laid.

The desire of his father to ensure that

the young Aliyu had proper exposure to balanced

education and most especially to the peculiar culture of Ilorin accounted for his transfer to the city of Alimi for consequent enrollment at the equally famous Ansarul- Islam Primary School, Okekere, Ilorin.

His contemporaries at the School included the

Second Grand Kadi of Kwara State, late Justice Mutallib Ahmad Ambali, OFR, FISN and a former Secretary to the Kwara State Government, Alhaji Shehu AbdulGafar, OON. For his Senior Primary Education, he was at Baboko Senior Primary School, llorin, from where he obtained his First School Leaving Certificate in 1954 along with the late Alhaji Shuaib Baba Pakata (1938-1995), a distinguished Educator and Technocrat who served as the pioneer Sole Administrator of the Ilorin - West Local Government Council; the late Imam Sultan Abdullah Kamaludeen Al-Adabiyyi ( my Teacher and Father) (1939-2012), a Former Chairman of the Kwara State Muslim Pligrims Welfare Board and Founder, Sultanate Mosque, Adewole Estate, Ilorin, and a Former National Auditor of the Ilorin Emirate Descendants Progressive Union (IEDPU), Alhaji Jimoh Garuba Oke-Oyi. Alhaji Salman thereafter proceeded to Provincial (now Government) Secondary School, llorin.

He was also Educated at Barewa College, Zaria, with the College Number 1108.

He was a year behind the first Military Governor of Kwara State, the late Brigadier- General David Lasisi Bamigboye, CON at each of the Two Schools.

Being a brilliant young man who was also determined to pursue a career in law, this distinguished son of Ilorin was trained at the prestigious Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria.

He was educated at the premier

University of Northern Nigeria between 1964 and

1967 from where he obtained LL. B.

He graduated from the institution along with the second elected Governor of Kwara State, Chief Cornelius Olatunji Adebayo; the 3rd Republic Deputy Governor of Kwara State, the late Chief Ojo Fadumila and the late Prof. Shehu Ahmad Jimoh,

The trio, unlike Alhaji Salman, graduated with B. A. English. In order for him to practise in Nigeria and as statutorily required, Lawyer Ali, as he is fondly called by his contemporaries, attended the Nigerian Law School, Lagos, from where he was called to the Nigerian bar in 1968.

His mates at the Law School

included the Emir of Ilorin, His Royal Highness

Alhaji (Dr)Ibrahim Sulu-Gambari, CFR, and the 4th

President of the Court of Appeal, Honourable Justice Issa Ayo Salami, OFR, among others.

Following his successful call to the bar, this

distinguished legal luminary joined the services of

the Government of North Western State with the

capital at Sokoto, as a pupil counsel and rose through the ranks to a respectable status. 

He eventually transferred his services to Kwara State Ministry of Justice. His brilliance, industry and patriotism must have influenced his subsequent appointment as the Attorney-General and Honorable Commissioner for Justice of Kwara State. He held the position between

1975 and 1978.

As a patriot, Alhaji Salman made history in 1978 when he voluntarily resigned as a Member of the Kwara State Executive Council in solidarity with the position of the people of Ilorin Emirate. 

He resigned from the State Cabinet along with the late Alhaji Saka Sa'adu, OFR, to press home the demand of the people of Ilorin Emirate over some matters with the then Government of Kwara State under the leadership of Colonel (later Major-General) George Agbazikah Innih.

Alhaji Aliyu Alarape Salam SAN was also the Chairman of the Kwara State Judicial Service Commission during the administration of Alhaji Adamu Attah, the First Elected Governor of the State. 

He also served as the Chairman of the African Petroleum Limited between 1984 and 1985 during the military administration of Major-General Muhammad Buhari. 

This distinguished lawyer, who served as the National Vice-President of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) between 1984 and 1985, also succeeded Major-General Abdullahi Mohammed, GCON, as the Chairman of the defunct Trade Bank Limited between 1998 and 2006.

He was similarly the Chairman of the Ilorin Microfinance Bank for many years. He was also a member of the Constituent Assembly in 1988, apart from other roles he has played in national development.

As a distinguished community leader, Lawyer Salman served as the National President of the Ilorin Emirate Descendants Progressive Union, 

the umbrella sociocultural Organisation of the good people of llorin Emirate. 

He held the number one position of the

Union twice between 1981 and 1984 as well as from 1988 to 1990.

Professionally, this great son of Ilorin Emirate is

undoubtedly an accomplished lawyer.

He is not only the first product of the Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, who emerged as a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, he is also the first Kwara State based silk. 

He was conferred with the prestigious title in 1987. 

By that elevation, he was the second indigene of Kwara State, after the late Alhaji Abdulganiyu Folorunsho AbdulRazaq, OFR, SAN, the father of my Boss, Leader and Mentor, His Excellency, Mallam AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq CON who will be so elevated. Alhaji Salman is so much in love with Ilorin.

I commiserates with the Emir of Ilorin, His Royal Highness, Alhaji Ibrahim Zulkarnaini Gambari CFR, and my Boss , Leader and Mentor, His Excellency, Mallam AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq CON, the Executive Governor of Kwara State, our family members, friends, associates and the entire Ilorin Emirate, Kwara State and Nigeria as a whole for the great loss of the man of integrity late Alhaji Aliyu Alarape Salam SAN.

May Almighty Allah forgive all his shortcomings and grant him Al-Jannatul Fir'daus.

Signed:

Hon. Comrade Lukman Olukayode Ahmed

Al-Adabiyyi, Al-Malawiyyi.

7th, January, 2024.