By Adamu Muhammad Dodo
Innaalillah Wa Innaa Ilaihirraajiuun!
Bayero University Kano BUK has recorded another death of their Professor, as much as I and others are subjected to mourning the death of another university done that was so dear to us.
Prof. Haruna Wakili, a historian would advice that we take our studies seriously to enable us write our stories that could eventually be upgraded to a remarkable history, deafening the scholastic misery and drowning the rather beyond the dream mystery; the Dean of Dons would add that to be able to defend our deen and our shared constituency.
This, the Prof would say, when I was introduced to him in his office sometimes in1995 by Abba Dalha an undergraduate colleague who had History as his major in BUK.
Prof Wakili would later identify me with his friend, Prof Ibrahim Bello Kano of popularly called IBK in BUK; “not bad,” he would exclaim.
I actually have swum in the pool of “IBKnowledge” as some students and I addressed IBK, as much as I could have benefited from Prof Wakili’s wealth of knowledge, if I had taken history courses’ even if elective; joining my colleagues and friends Prof Moses Ochonu, Emmanuel Taegar and Mahmoud among others who would not be offended not mentioning them.
I actually read about Prof Haruna Wakili’s death from my friend Prof. Farooq Kperogi’s seeming tribute shared in his Facebook page.
Kperogi writes:
“The death today of Bayero University Kano’s Deputy Vice Chancellor (Administration) and professor of history Haruna Wakili is one death too many, especially coming after the deaths of many other BUK professors these past few months.
“Although Professor Wakili didn’t teach me when I was an undergraduate at BUK, I was familiar with his work through my friend Professor Moses Ochonu whom Wakili taught– and through Professor Ibrahim Bello-Kano, his close friend at BUK in the 1990s.
“When I met him in his hometown of Hadejia in 2010 during my visit to Nigeria after my wife died in a car crash, he was Jigawa State’s Commissioner of Education. He was exceedingly gracious and kind to me. I was flattered that he recognized me from BUK and was even more flattered when he told me he read my newspaper columns.
“I met him in Hadejia through my friend Adagbo Onoja who was Governor Sule Lamido’s Media Adviser at the time. Thereafter, Professor Wakili and I became Facebook friends.
“Just two weeks ago, for some reason, I thought of him and wondered why he was no longer active here on Facebook. I checked his page and found no recent activity. Then I woke to the news of his death today at the age of 60.
“The Kano Focus online news site reported that he died at the National Hospital in Abuja after a battle with cancer.
“This is truly distressing. May Allah admit him in aljannah firdaus and comfort the loved ones he left behind.”
I join the rest in the positive response; Rest In Peace Prof.