On the occasion of your 79th birthday, I write not merely as an academic, but as a younger brother who has walked behind your footsteps and found the path lit.

Professor Shuaibu Oba AbdulRaheem, OFR, Talba Ngeri of Ilorin Emirate, Kwara State, you are more than an elder brother to me. You are my mentor and my pillar.

From Ile Kutu, Masingba, Ilorin, to the pinnacle of academic and public service, your life has been defined by excellence without arrogance, service without noise, and loyalty without compromise.

As vice-chancellor of the University of Ilorin from 1997 to 2002, the first Ilorin indigene to hold that office, you transformed the institution. You bequeathed the stability of an uninterrupted academic calendar and the identity that endures – Better By Far. What you built has made UNILORIN the most peaceful and most sought-after university in Nigeria for over two decades.

As executive chairman of the Federal Character Commission, you served Nigeria with fairness and fear of Allah. In every assignment, as chairman of Federal University Dutse, as chairman of Muhammad Kamalud-deen University Ilorin, chairman, Kwara State University of Education, as chairman of Visitation Panels to Federal Polytechnics and Colleges of Education, you served with distinction.

The honours are well-deserved: Officer of the Order of the Federal Republic (OFR) in 2011, National Productivity Order of Merit in 2013, and in 2002, turbaning as Talba Ngeri of Ilorin, the first holder of that title, by His Royal Highness, Alhaji (Dr) Ibrahim Sulu-Gambari, CFR, Emir of Ilorin.

Yet, for us in the AbdulRaheem family, your greatest honour is character. You open doors quietly. You give opportunities to those who deserve them without asking for anything in return. You mentor without keeping a record. You correct with love.

At 79, you have shown us that one can be deeply rooted in Ilorin culture and yet be globally relevant. That power can be held with humility. That to be Talba is to be a bridge.

I pray Almighty Allah (SWT) grants you long life in perfect health, abundant blessings, and joy of seeing the fruits of your labour continue to grow.

Happy 79th Birthday, Baba Talba!

Mahmud Abdulraheem Esq.,
Ph.D.Mass Communication, M.Sc., B.A., LL.M., B.L., LL.B.
Notary Public.
Chief Executive,
Gerin FM 95.5 Ilorin, Kwara State