Haruna Wakili, a former education commissioner in Jigawa state, is dead.
Mr Wakili, a professor, died in the National Hospital, Abuja, on Saturday, June 20, following a protracted illness.
The cause of his death has not been revealed.
Mr Wakili comes from Hadejia Local Government Area in Jigawa State and served as a commissioner under former Governor Sule Lamido ‘s administration.
Mr Lamido described late Mr Wakili, in a Facebook post, as a true symbol of loyalty, hard work and commitment in a statement which reads:
“Verily we belong to Allah (SWT), and to Him shall we return.”
“It’s terrible to hear about the loss of one of our distinguished personalities, Professor Haruna Wakili whose sad event occurred in the early hours of today after a protracted illness.
At this moment, words cannot begin to express our sorrow and grief.
Surely, he has gone from our sight but never from our hearts and prayers.
My deepest sympathies go to his family, the entire people of Jigawa state, and the nation at large.
He has lived a humble life worthy of emulation. May his gentle soul finds peace and comport.
#RestInPeaceProf”
He prayed that God would forgive his weaknesses and ‘give him Jannatul Firdaus.’
As former education commissioner in Jigawa, Mr Wakili championed the establishment of Kafin Hausa State University.
The late professor was also the former Director-General, Aminu Kano Centre for Democratic Research and Training, Mambayya House, affiliated to Bayero University, Kano.
Mr Wakili ‘s death joins a series of deaths at Bayero University involving many professors.
Before his death on Saturday he was the serving Deputy Vice-Chancellor Administration at Bayero University, Kano.
Aliyu Dikko of Bayero University Kano, who died on Saturday 25 April, was the first professor to die in this sequence.
Mr Dikko, a physiology professor, was a lecturer at the Department of Human Physiology, College of Health Sciences , University of Bayero, Kano, before his demise. He also worked as a former Deputy Vice Chancellor at the same institution.
He has been involved in the opening at Bayero University, Kaduna State University and Yusuf Maitama Sule University of three faculty of Medicine / Basic Medical Sciences.
Another professor Ibrahim Ayagi died the same day. Mr. Ayagi, a renowned economics professor, attended Ahmadu Bello University (ABU) Zaria from 1963-70 and from 1970 to 1974 went to Pittsburgh University, Pennsylvania, USA.
Mr Ayagi had established Kano’s celebrated Twin Science Secondary Schools at Dawakin Kudu and Dawakin Tofa as the state commissioner of education in the 1970s.
Also, Balarabe Maikaba, of Mass Communication Department, BUK, died after an illness on April 26.
Mr Maikaba, a professor, was the former head of the BUK department of mass communication, and a visiting lecturer at Ahmadu Bello University (ABU), Zaria, and Kaduna State University (KASU).
Sabo Kurawa of the Sociology Department passed on the same day, following a protracted illness.
The academic held positions at Bayero University as Deputy Vice-Chancellor, Administration and eventually Deputy Vice-Chancellor, Academics.
Uba Adamu, a retired academic with Kano State Polytechnic, died at the age of 85 on Monday April 27 as a result of age-related complications.
Mr Adamu was survived by two wives, 17 children and 54 grandchildren. His eldest son, Abdalla Adamu, now vice-chancellor of Nigeria ‘s National Open University (NOUN).
Also, Ghali Umar, another professor, died on Monday 27th April.
The late Umar was a former department head and a senior lecturer at Kano University of Science and Technology, Department of Architecture.