Ali Salman: The Demise of A Patriotic Legal Icon
By Abubakar Imam
Yesterday, Sunday, January 7, 2024 effectively marked the end of another golden era in the annals of the Ilorin Emirate. It was the date we all woke up to learn of the death and subsequently participated in the burial of one of the extremely outstanding indigenes of Ilorin Emirate, Alhaji Aliyu Alarape Salman, SAN.
Alhaji Salman was an extraordinary personality who impacted greatly and gloriously in his life, which lasted eight eventful decades. He was a man who simply committed his life and resources to the all-round positive transformation of Ilorin Emirate right from his days as a youth and until he was slowed down by old age.
My first “contact” with this late elder statesman was through the television and it was at the instance of my late father, Mallam Jimoh Imam Pakata. It was sometimes in the early 1980s when a news report on Lawyer Salman was featured on the network of the Nigerian Television Authority (NTA), Ilorin. After telling me that he was from the Omoda area of Ilorin, my late father went on to tell me all he believed I should know about the great jurist as he favoured me with similar information on most of his contemporaries whenever they were shown on television or reported upon either on the radio or in a newspaper.
I later had interactions with Alhaji Salman in his capacity as a former National President of IDPU (as it was being called). As the most senior of his contemporaries (in terms of dates of service) who served as National Presidents of the Union, Alhaji Salman hosted two meetings held towards finding a lasting solution to the challenges IEDPU was facing then, particularly on the unpopular attempt targeted at exterminating the old Ilorin Branch (now Al-Barka Branch) of the Union, to which yours sincerely belongs. The first of the meetings was held at his GRA Ilorin residence while the second one was at his chambers in the Omoda area of Ilorin.
The late jurist was also very regular at the weekly meetings of the National Executive Council of the IEDPU during the tenure of the late Justice Saka Yusuf, OFR as National President. He used to attend the meetings in company of Alhaji Mudi Adebayo Gold, who is also a former National President of the Union. I was the Third Assistant National (Recording) Secretary of the Union then. The position I held gave me the privilege of also knowing more about him.
Alhaji Salman, a teacher, lawyer, community leader and statesman, was born on November 9, 1942. He was a distinguished member of the famous Bakinni family of the Omoda area of Ilorin. His father, Shaykh Salman Muhammad Busariy, who was simply known as Alfa Salman Ake, was one of the most distinguished students and disciples of Shaykh Taju-l-Adab, who he nicknamed “Muftideen” as he did to the pioneer Grand Mufti of Ilorin and founder of the Ansarul Islam Society of Nigeria, Shaykh Muhammad Tukur Habeebullahi Musa, who he bestowed with the title of “Kamalud-Deen”. Alhaja Maryam Salman, a daughter to the Masingba lineage of the Imam Imale family of Ilorin, was the mother of this late learned gentleman.
This late erudite legal luminary was educated at Nawairudeen Primary School, Abeokuta. He also attended Ansarul Islam Primary School, Okekere, Ilorin.
For his senior primary education, he was at Baboko Senior Primary School, Ilorin, from where he obtained his Senior Primary School Certificate in 1954. He thereafter proceeded to Government Secondary School, Ilorin. He was also educated at the famous Barewa College, Zaria, where his admission number was 1108.
This distinguished son of Ilorin was trained at the prestigious Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, from 1964 to 1967 from where he obtained LL. B. in Law. His contemporaries at the University included the late Prof. Shehu Ahmad Jimoh, OON; the late Mr J. T. Obaoye, who was a pioneer Honourable Commissioner in Kwara State; the second civilian Governor of Kwara State, Chief C. O. Adebayo; and the third civilian Deputy Governor of Kwara State, Prince Ojo Fadumila, and, of course, Justice Issa Ayo Salami, a retired President of the Court of Appeal; among several others. Lawyer Salman, thereafter, attended the Nigerian Law School, Lagos, from where he was called to the Nigerian bar in 1968 along with the earlier mentioned Justice Salami and the Emir of Ilorin, Alhaji (Dr) Ibrahiim Sulu-Gambari, CFR.
Alhaji Salman, who had served as a teacher at his alma mata, Baboko Senior Primary School, Ilorin, joined the services of the Government of North Western State in Sokoto as a pupil counsel consequent upon his qualification as a solicitor and advocate of the Supreme Court of Nigeria. He rose to become the Solicitor -General of the State.
Read Also:
After some years of dedicated services in the North-Western State, Alhaji Salman transferred his services to the Kwara State Government. He was later appointed as the Attorney-General and Honourable Commissioner for Justice, Kwara State. He held the position between 1975 and 1978.
Alhaji Salman made history in 1978 when he voluntarily resigned his appointment as a Commissioner and Member of the Kwara State Executive Council. He did so along with the late Alhaji Saka Saadu, OFR, in solidarity with the position of the people of Ilorin Emirate.
This eminent legal practitioner, who at a time served as the Vice President of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), also participated in the constitution review programmes shouldered by the administration of General Ibrahiim Badamasi in the late 1980s.
Alhaji Salman was also the Chairman of the Board of the African Petroleum Limited between 1984 and 1985. He also served as the Chairman of the defunct Trade Bank Limited between 1998 and 2006. He was similarly the Chairman of Ilorin Microfinance Bank.
As a distinguished community leader, Lawyer Salman was elected twice as the National President of Ilorin Descendants Progressive Union (IDPU), the umbrella sociocultural organisation of the people of the Ilorin Emirate. He served as the National President of the Union between 1981 and 1984 as well as from 1988 to 1990.
Before joining the IDPU, Alhaji Salman was a founding member of the then Ilorin Descendants Students Union (now Ilorin Emirate Students Union). He later served as the National President of the Union with the Chief of Staff to the former President Muhammadu Buhari, Prof. Ibrahim Agboola Gambari, CFR; as the Secretary-General. Late Alhaji Salman became the President of the Union after the tenure of its founding President, late Dr Abdulkadir Salman Oniyangi, OFR. History later repeated itself when Alhaji Salman again succeeded Dr Oniyangi as the National President of IDPU in 1981 as earlier stated.
Professionally, this great son of Ilorin was highly accomplished. He was not only the first product of Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, who would emerge as a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), he was also the first Kwara State-Based beneficiary of the prestigious professional title reserved for only exceptionally outstanding legal practitioners in Nigeria. He was conferred with the prestigious award in 1987. He was the second indigene of Kwara State conferred with the prestigious rank after Alhaji Abdulganiyu Folorunsho AbdulRazaq, the father of the current Governor of Kwara State, Mallam AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, CON, who was so honoured in 1985.
Alhaji Salman was so much in love with Ilorin that, despite his superlatively successful career at the bar and in the public service, he refused to have his law chambers located elsewhere but within the precinct of his ancestral home-stead.
As a mark of his success, his law firm, which he named Saara Chambers, Ilorin, have produced so many illustrious alumni who are doing very well on the bench and in the bar as well as in the academia and other areas of human endeavours. Among those who passed through the law firm of this legal giant are a former Ag.Grand Kadi of Kwara State, Justice Shehu Abdulbaki Mohammed; a retired Judge of the Federal High Court of Nigeria, Justice Lambo Jimoh Akanbi; a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Alhaji Abdulkadir Oba Adebayo Adelodun; and a former Attorney-General and Honourable Commissioner of Justice, Kwara State Alhaji Salman Jawondo, who is also a Senior Advocate of Nigeria and, of course, the Dean, Faculty of Law, University of Ilorin, Prof. Nimah Modupe AbdulRaheem, among several others.
This illustrious son of Ilorin Emirate was married to Alhaja Maryam Salman, a daughter of Alhaji Hanafi Idiaro, a first republic parliamentarian. His father in-law represented the Ilorin North Constituency at the defunct Northern Nigeria House of Assembly while Alhaji Sanni Olanrewaju Buraimo Okin, MFR, OFR, OBE, simultaneously represented the then Ilorin Central Constituency at the regional parliament.
Alhaji Salman was not only married, he was also blessed with highly successful children who are doing very well in their careers. His children are Mrs Aishat Segilola Shehu Umar, Dr Rahmat Kawu, Barrister Salman A. Salman, Barrister Aminat Lukman Lawal and Alhaji Aliyu A. Salman.
Alhaji Salman has gone the way of all mortals. But before he did he gave a very good account of himself by offering a series of services which confirmed that he was indeed a blessing not just to his family and community but also to his nation and the generality of humanity.
I pray Allah (SWT) to forgive his shortcomings. May He also favour him with admission into Aljanat Fridaouz and may all he struggled for continue to blossom.
Imam is National Secretary, Ilorin Emirate Descendants Progressive Union.
