The one-year memorial prayer for the late father of Kwara state governor was held recently in Ilorin with large attendants. UMAR BAYO ABDULWAHAB captures every moment and reactions from the event.
The man AGF AbdulRazaq
He was the first lawyer of the northern Nigeria extraction and a First Republic minister, a politician of repute and foremost educationist. Some described him as a phenomenon of all time.Alhaji Abdulganiy Folorunsho (AGF) AbdulRazaq, father of the current Kwara state governor, Mallam AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, died on July 25, 2020 at the of 93.On Sunday July 25 2021, the creme de la creme of the society converged at the Surulere family House of the late sage in Ilorin for a one- year remembrance prayer organised by the family in honour of their late father.
When Ilorin stood still
All roads leading to the Surulere sprawling family House of the late sage in Ilorin, capital city of Kwara state was busy with human and vehicular movements as dignitaries from across Nigeria gathered for the one- year memorial prayers since his death last year.The memorial prayer was attended by creme de la creme from the country, hosted by his first son who is also the new Mutawalle of Ilorin, Dr Alimi AbdulRazaq and his siblings.
Roll call.
Governor AbdulRazaq, a scion of the family led the pack of Kwara people to the solemn event which included the deputy governor, Kayode Alabi; speaker of the state House of Assembly, Salihu Danladi; cabinet members, top traditional rulers, the entire cleric community led by chief Imam of Ilorin, Sheikh Muhammad Bashir; famed Muslim scholar, Sheikh Habeebullaah Adam Abdullahi el-Ilory, members of the intellectual and of cultural communities led by the IEDPU president, Alhaji Uthman Otta; bureaucrats, politicians and businessmen and women.
The Emir of Ilorin, Dr Ibrahim Sulu-Gambari was represented by the Balogun Gambari, Alhaji Muhammad Aliyu Adebayo.
The chief Imam of Ilorin, Alhaji Mohammed Bashir Salihu led the prayers for the late sage and the family as he beseeched Allah to continue to be with them.
As it is the tradition in Ilorin, such occasion is usually marked with lecture from Islamic scholars and on hand to deliver the lecture was the rector, Markaz I.
Glowing tributes
Speakers after speakers at the prayer session led by the chief Imam of Ilorin, Sheik Salihu exollled virtuous of the late sage.
For his part, the chief Imam said the deceased would for long be remembered for his developmental strides and exemplary conducts while on this planet.
Al-Ilory who delivered a thought-provoking lecture described the late AbdulRazaq as a pride of Nigeria and a phenomenon that life throws up only once in a century.
Sheikh Al-Ilory described the deceased as a foremost figure in the development of Ilorin Emirate and Kwara state in general.
“AGF was a pioneer in Law; a politician of repute and educationaist. He was passionate about the progress and development of his town (Ilorin); he established the first private secondary school in Ilorin (the then Ilorin College, now Government High School, Ilorin). For these and many enduring legacies left behind by Alh AGF AbdulRazaq, he lives,” Al- Ilory said.
He urged his children not to depart from his path especially his patience, commitment to education, humility and love for humanity as well as development.
Digressing to trending political and economic issues dominating discourse in the state political arena Al-Ilory took time to x-ray the issues one after another.
Stomach infrastructure.
In a veil response to insinuations making the rounds in some qoutas that the reason the governor is having problem with the political class is because he has not attended to the concept of stomach infrastructures, Al-Ilory said, “No government is elected to share public funds for patronage.”
While urging the children of the late AGF to sustain the legacies of their father, Al- Ilory praised Governor AbdulRazaq for making fiscal discipline, transparency and accountability the hallmark of his administration.
He asked the governor to shun distraction by politicians asking him to share government money to them, but urged him to focus attention on infrastructural development.
“I had envisaged that you (government officials) would be raining millions here today but to my satisfaction, you did not. Otherwise, we would have asked where you got the money from. This shows you are prudent in government,” the cleric said, likening the governor’s prudence to that of the iconic fifth caliph of Islam Umar ibn AbdulAzeez whom he said drew a line between family and government obligations.
He said the state governor has onerous tasks of delivering a state that would be at par with its contemporaries in basic facilities and human capital development indices.
Message to the political class
The cleric, who used the opportunity of the prayer to send strong message to all strata of the society, advised the political class particularly members of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) to close ranks and work with the governor.
He urged the governor and his party men to forgive one another and avoid vengeance.
The cleric commended the governor for his prudence, humility and efforts to reposition the state by fixing basic infrastructure and restoring confidence in the state.
Sheikh Habeebullah, who is the rector of the popular Markaz Agege (Lagos) said he found it strange that anyone would wish any government to fail.
“If some people got to power and then left a trace of blood and agony in their treatment of dissents, you should not do that. Your ancestry does not align with that. Forgive anyone who may have wronged you in any way. That will be the greatest legacy for your late father who was a great man of all times,” the scholar told the governor.
Political showmanship at Ilorin Eid
Speaking on the recent development at Ilorin Eid, Sheikh Habeebullaah condemned miscreants who attempted to disrupt the Eid prayer on Sallah day for political reasons. His submission was corroborated by the chief Imam of Ilorin who led the prayer session.
They asked those concerned to seek for the forgiveness of God, insisting that their actions negate the teaching of the holy Qur’an and as well as disrespect for the office of the Emir of Ilorin and that of the chief Imam.
“The character some people put on in the last Eid-Kabir celebration was not proper. It was disruptive and condemnable. The implication of such was that we were disrespectful to our Almighty creator, the prophet and concerned authorities. This act is not acceptable in a predominantly city of Islam like Ilorin. What God mainly requires from us to fulfill at the Eld-Kabir celebration is the fear of Him we carefully exhibit on our way to and return from the prayer grounds. I am not a politician but a cleric and clerics are not expected to be partisan politicians. This is the truth, whether we like it or not. It is not about hatred against or love for anyone; it is about saying it the way it is,” the cleric said.
Patriots must support government to succeed
Stressing the need for real pariots to love their state and support government to succeed, the cleric emphasised that those who believe in their state and wish their town well must love the govenor and wish him success.
He said, “Patriots and lovers of the state must rise against opposition to any government based on selfish interest.
“Those who truly love Ilorin and Kwara state must love you (the governor) and wish you success in office. It is our prayer that God continues to guide the government. What is our gain if our government fails?” he quried.
The clerics also used the opportunity to pray for the restoration of peace to the length and breadth of Nigeria.
Both Al-Ilory and Salihu appealed to all Nigerians to embrace peace and resolve all contentious issues.
