*Photo: Mallam Abidu Yazid*
University of Ilorin Vice-Chancellor designate, Professor Wahab Olasupo Egbewole has mourned the death of Mallam Abidu Yazid, the institution’s Pro-chancellor and Chairman of the Governing Council.
Saying “The news was confounding, confusing and totally unbelievable”, Egbewole in a statement on Friday dislosed that his shock stemmed from the fact that only a day to Mallam Yazid’s demise, they had a prolonged phone chat in which they “discussed extensively on the need to organise a befitting valedictory programme in honour of the outgoing Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Sulyman Age Abdulkareem”.
Prof. Egbewole whose appointment was announced by the late Mallam Yazid on September 8, 2022, said, “The late Chairman graciously approved my proposal”, which, he described as “another act of the Chairman’s magnanimity” but which, regrettably, he would no longer be around to consummate “as the will of Allah has been done in this case”.
The Vice Chancellor-designate said, “I have had the very rare opportunity of sitting in Council with the late Chairman and wish to put on record the way he conducted proceedings depicting extreme candour, courage of conviction and always putting the University of Ilorin first”.
He added that the late Mallam Yazid was “a thoroughbred administrator, astute manager of human and material resources, and a firm believer in Almighty Allah. He was incorruptible, highly detribalised and a great thinker”.
The Vice Chancellor-designate pointed out that for all the times he interacted with the late Mallam Yazid on the floor of Council, “he remained focused, determined and highly committed to the assignment”.
During the visit of the Governing Council to the Governor of Katsina State in September last year, Prof. Egbewole recalled that, Governor Aminu Masari “described the late Governing Council Chairman in flowery terms and counted University of Ilorin extremely lucky to have him”.
He said, “As painful as the demise is, we are consoled that the late Mallam Yazid used the opportunity to serve Allah, his creator, and he discharged the assignment as part of his divine worship (‘ibadah).
“May Allah be pleased with him, forgive his shortcomings and grant him Aljanah Firdaus. May Allah comfort the family and grant them the fortitude to bear this great and irreparable loss”.
