PROF. MUHAMMAD AKANBI, SAN

 

Ibn Abdillah As-sudaisiy Al-Iloori

I had slept off after eating dinner. I later woke up and said my adhkar preparing to sleep, but something just told me to check my phone before sleeping back. On putting on my data, the first post I saw on WhatsApp was about the death of one of our teachers. 

May Allāh forgive and have mercy on my teacher and mentor, Prof. Muhammad Mustapha Akanbi, SAN. Until his death, he was Vice Chancellor, Kwara State University (KWASU), Malele.  He taught us Commercial Law in University of Ilorin. He was the Dean of Faculty of Law, University of Ilorin when I was General Secretary or Ameer of NAMLAS, University of Ilorin (I can't remember vividly). 

I can never forget what he told me when we woke up with the news of the death of one of our lecturers then, Bar. Mutiu (popularly known as Sagay). The Faculty was hot that faithful morning. In the letter NAMLAS wrote to condole the Faculty on his death, I used the phrase "sudden death" to describe the circumstance surrounding the death of the noble brother, but Prof. Akanbi corrected me saying, there is nothing like sudden death. He said "death is death and it can come anytime, we should always prepare for it". He gave me the example of the death of one of his close friends when they were doing PhD in UK. Since that day, I stopped using that phrase "sudden death". 

My last physical meeting with him was very recently when my Dad and I visited him in his office. We  talked at length and I presented the two of my books to him. He was very happy to see us. We talked at length despite him having many other visitors waiting for him and he prayed for me. He was a very kind person who would never look down on anyone despite his achievements in life. We once met at Ar-raheem School, where one or some of his children were memorizing the Qur'ān. I was so happy that day because this is a lost legacy among the present day Ilorin elite.

Prof. Akanbi had been the brain behind the initiatives of Mustapha Akanbi Foundation (MAF) in the lifetime and after the death of his father, Hon. Justice Mustapha Akanbi, PCA, the former President of the Court of Appeal and pioneer Chairman, Independent Corrupt Practices and other Related Offences Commission (ICPC). He obviously inherited the zero tolerance for corruption from his father and used to take his time to preach it to anyone close to him.

Whatever we do will become history. Let us wear the cloak of goodness sincerely wherever we find ourselves. Let us prepare for death always. This life is nothing but deceit. May we not be deceived. Unilorin Community will miss him, KWASU Community will miss him, the Faculty will miss him, his students will miss him, and the Legal Profession will miss him😭.

The only thing we can do now is to talk about his good deeds and pray for him. May Allāh forgive and have mercy on him. May  He grant us and the entirely family fortitude to bear the loss. May He forgive and have mercy on all dead Muslims.