Mallam Yusuf Ali: ‘Kufr Lawyer’ with a Humongous Embellishment of Islamism

By Ishaq Kunle Sanni

If you will not start a programme on schedule, do not invite Yusuf Ali or Ishaq Oloyede, to your function. Interestingly, they come to most events like Siamese Twins.

Is it not interesting that a common law lawyer is proud of the appellation MALLAM, Equally against the stereotyping and conventionalizing of lawyers as highly  westoxicated and therefore poles apart with Islamism?

Yusuf Ali’s Law chamber is popularly known as GHALIB CHAMBERS. Ghalib, an Arabic word, means superior or most excellent. If he had wanted to run away from  Islamophobia, Yusuf  could  have given  his chambers an English appellation, but he has an un–masqueraded and an unapologetic  attachment to Islam.

His ‘Kufr lawyer’ name came when we were growing as young jihadists and eaglet professionals in the Muslim Student Society, then without N.  I make bold to say without the least equivocation and fear of being contradicted that the late 70’s and early 80’s were the golden days of our great society MSSN that produced our subject matter who out of providence shares same name with arguably the greatest English translator of the Holy Qur’an the Pakistan born Yusuf Ali.

That generation produced Governors in the North like:Mallam Ibrahim Shekarau, Mallam Ahmed Muazu and Mallam Ahmed Kure, the erstwhile Governors of Kano, Bauchi and Niger States respectively. It also, moulded some Federal Government of Nigeria Ministers like:Adamu Adamu former Minister of Education, Usman Bugaje Special Adviser (Political) to Vice president Atiku Abubakar GCON and Muhammad Musa, a former Minister of the Federal Capital territory; a carbon copy of Professor Ishaq Oloyede, who left award of contracts  to  civil servants leaving them to Allah to inflict maximum  punishment  for their stealing propensity.

In the South, MSSN, produced the irrepressible anti–corruption public officers like: Ishaq Oloyede, Transparently honest police chief like Commissioner of Police Mubashir Yinka Balogun rtd, Political juggernautslike Abduraheem Adebayo Shittu, who was  two time Commissioner  in Oyo state and also served in President Muhammadu Buhari’s regime as Minister of  Communications. The era also produced Of course ‘ Oyinbo’ Musa Ayeni, the onetime Deputy Governor of old Ondo state and Rasheed Adewumi Aderinoye, aka AWAYEWASERERE, (I used to say whoever finds himself in public office should go to Aderinoye, for tutorials on how to function in political office) to mention  but a few.

Still in that Golden era, if you were on a journey to anywhere in Nigeria, you could bother about other things, but certainly not hotel accommodation. Muzemil Hanga’s house in Kano has a guest chalet for Muslim brothers from any part of the country. Siraj Abdulkareem, will accommodate you in Zaria, Tijani Elmiskin, and Muhammad Abdullahi, (Blessedmemories) have reserved rooms for brothers in Maiduguri. Prince Garba Jimoh was always prepared to be our host in Benin and Auchi. Usman Bugaje’s visit to Southwest Nigeria was incomplete without a stay in Kunle Sanni’s sparsely furnished room in Ibadan, and you can be sure in Lagos, Tunde Abbas was a perfect host.  Jamiu Afolayan’s house in Abuja, if it is human, will not forget virtually all of us in a hurry.

Like a recurring decimal, Yusuf Ali then as a struggling lawyer almost had a permanent room, in Jamiu Afolayan’s house in Abuja. Yusuf now owns mansion in the super brow reserves areas for the high and mighty in Abuja (Omo jooni). Silfat and Jamiu, a marital lance corporal for life were amazing hosts till tomorrow. God bless that inimitable, wonderful family. How would it have been if all brothers would be as accommodating and friendly as the Jamiu Afolayan’s family?

In that memorable days we had nicknames, which bonded us, made the uninitiated around us look blank and green in envy.

Yusuf Ali was KUFR LAWYER
Ishaq Oloyede was APERE SYSTEM
Siraj Olasupo was ALAMU OLOBE
Ishaq  Tunde Okunola was OKORO
YKO Kareem was AGIDI LAGOS.
Abdusalam Tunde Abbas of blessed memory was BABA THE LAW.

I can continue ad infinitum.

Yusuf Ali was not a silver spoon fed, but today, his children Alhamdulilah are of diamond spoons. He emerged from a very humble beginning but rose to the pinnacle of the legal profession at the speed faster than light through dint of hard work and raw uncommon intelligence and vibrancy. Yusuf Ali is a highly disciplined Muslim brother. When he was cutting his teeth in the legal profession, Yusuf would be in his office at Taiwo road, Ilorin on the dot of 7am every day, including Saturdays and Sundays, except if he had a social/Islamic programme to attend on such days, but you are sure he would be on his chair by 2pm. Somebody once asked Yusuf why he went to work on Sunday. A man who never lacks an adequate answer   retorted. WHAT IS THE NAME OF THE CHURCH I ATTEND ON SUNDAYS?

Ishaq Oloyede and Yusuf Ali are also nicknamed, Time Keepers’ for being prompt at events or activities reminiscent of our late father,  Justice Abduljabbar Bolasodun Ajibola (erstwhile  Judge of the World Court in Hague, and the Founder Crescent University Abeokuta),Supreme Court Justice Tijani Bola Babalakin father of the business mogul, Abdurauf  Bababawale Olawale Babalakin SAN. Baba Bola Ajibola would always arrive very early, and when the programme was yet to start, I would say jocularly. I AM SORRY FORCOMING TOO EARLY.

If you will not start a programme on schedule, do not invite Yusuf Ali or Ishaq Oloyede, to your function. Interestingly, they come to most events like Siamese Twins. The duo doesn’t not believe in spending longhours at whatever activities organised by them. They recently introduced some oddities to their fantastic but queer attitude to life. Recently, Abdulkareem Oloyede became a professor in the University his father ‘denied ‘ him admission because he also took things for granted.(It is a story for another day). Yusuf Ali, as it is customary with him, organized a prayer reception for him in his palatial mansion in Ilorin. Behold, the commencing time for the prayer was 6:30 am and by 8:00 O’clock the closing Dua for the prayers was said! A time Kunle Sanni would be starting his second round of sleep. Those who were on their way to the reception, had to turn back as they met those returning from the eventon their way home. And when his twin brother, Ishaq Oloyede organized his own thanksgiving prayer, he was a little generous. The prayer started 8 O’clock and ended at 10 am with his makondoro colleagues, attended with their big turban almost hitting the roof.

If you are looking for a man who, from his struggling days till when he gained national prominence with unfathomable wealth and nothing changed about his lifestyles, look for Yusuf Ali.  He is transparently humble. Nobody picks his phone on his behalf. He doesn’t go out with a retinue of personal aides. If you call Yusuf and he doesn’t pick, be sure he would call you back. Yusuf Ali, is one of the few brothers who fortune has smiled upon and you are sure would attend the socials of the not too rich among us.  He feels absolutely comfortable among his old friends, irrespective of their statuses. Yusuf is simplicity personified when it comes to dressing. Only on rare occasions would you see him adorning flowing apparels (Agbada). He feels comfortable in his Kaftan that makes him look ordinary in his athletic frame. Looking for a diplomatic man?  Do not go the way of Yusuf.  He is cruelly frank. That is why it is a miracle how he survived in the legal profession enmeshed in the cesspool of corruption and corruptibility. For Yusuf  to have the  effrontery  to write a book on ANATOMY OF CORRUPTION IN NIGERIA, ISSUES CHALLENGES AND SOLUTIONS,  shows he is a lawyer on crime that loathes criminals he eats drinks and laughs hilariously with almost on a daily basis.

In Yusur Ali’s house, there are strict rules against extravagance unchangeable like the words in the Glorious Quran, some of which I modestly emulated. Not putting off light by 7am is a punishable offence. After every Salat, a security man comes to the small but beautifully decorated Masjid to ensure no tap was leaking due to negligence or nonchalant conduct of the ablution point users. This action is just being in absolute and unwavering compliance with Allah’s immutable injunctions against wastages. Holy Qur’an 17:27 says THE EXTRAVAGANT ONES ARE BROTHERS OF THE DEVL AND THE DEVIL TO HIS LORD IS UNGRATEFUL

Oloyede’s makondoro tune comes here handy ‘ ‘Onikeu Akelo lonikeu
‘Onikeu Akelo lonikeu
Ki lanfani keu teke  te o mulo
Onikeu akelo lonikeu

He is very generous but you cannot take advantage of this virtue, as he wants to be sure you are not in the league of those who want to exploit his generosity. Yusuf will not stay where humour is scarce. He would always lighten the atmosphere with chuckle some and comical comments. Whenever he sees me, he would say ABURO. He is sure he would not go scot-free anyway. I will reply,’ Yusuf, you are correct. It is a universal proclamation that the wealthy is the elderly. Yoruba says OLOWO LAGBA, Hausas says MAIKUDI BA YARO BA, meaning the same thing. End of discussion. He knows what I am saying is that his claim to being older is as a result of being richer than me, which is a truism that he doesn’t like being acknowledged.

One day, we met, and he said Arabinrin, reducing me, a man with three wives to a woman. I said the day I become wealthy, you will stop referring to me as a woman. He immediately put his mouth in a permanent state of SHUT UP. On another day in a meeting in Akure, when Musa Ayeni was deputy governor, and the atmosphere  was charged and explosive with brothers  blowing big grammar; To cool down nerves, Yusuf just said,’ You people are not noticing that Agidi Lagos (YKO Kareem) is looking morose and melancholic. With all the grammar flying right, left, and center he has not said a word. Let us find out, if perchance his wife gave him a dirty slap before he left home’ everybody, including Agidi Lagos, went into the helluva of a laughter session. That cooled our nerves.  Today, YKO is the closest person to the Kufr lawyer on this planet. The popular axiom among us is that, IF BARRISTER YKO DOES NOT KNOW THE WHEREABOUT OF YUSUF ALI, THEN ONLY ALLAH KNOWS.

Yusuf is an extremely philanthropic individual. His flipside on this is that he dictates the radar of hisphilanthropies. He will not allow being stampeded into a project some believe is a priority. Educational institutionsare his priority, and he has built hostels in many academic institutions and awarded scholarships to thousands of children from poor backgrounds. Mosques also benefit from his kindness as he recently commissioned the re–modelled mosque of his ancestral home at Ifetedo, Osun State. He adds another dimension to his silent humanitarianism of no mean dimension. He often, sends money to those who didn’t beckon to him. This is a watershed and rare phenomenon. But I have seen him doing this a couple of times to my great amazement!

The Emir of Ilorin has put a round peg in a round hole in awarding this title of KULIYA NGERI of Ilorin to Barrister, Professor, Mallam, Yusuf  Ali SAN.  I am sure, if he had a choice he would have rejected it. I am aware he had been avoiding traditional titles like a plague in the past.  Our Sultan, His Eminence, Alhaji Muhammadu Sa’adu, Abubakar III, recently done wonderfully well, when he awarded  Yusuf’s twin brother, Emeritus Professor  Ishaq  Oloyede, the KULIYA NGERI OF SOKOTO.

If KULIYA NGERI of Ilorin had been accepting traditional and Islamic titles in the past, he would by now be rivaling the Moshood Kashimawo Olawale Abiola GCFR, the man with more than a thousand chieftaincy titles in his life time. Therefore, we should be expecting more honour for him as the Emir of Ilorin, His Eminence, Sheikh Ibrahim Sulu-Gambari CFR, has opened the floodgate to many titles for a man whose social and religious activities are akin to activities in a beehive attracts many traditional  rulers  from  Yoruba land  who are beneficiaries of his famed generosity.

Long Live KULIYA NGERI!

SPONSORED

SPONSORED

SPONSORED