By Prof. S. A. Zuru, SAN
Late Prof.Nuhu Yaqub.
A Tribute To My Teacher: As I write this painful tribute to my teacher and mentor, I am still puzzled by void and the emptiness of life. I cannot believe that after corresponding with you very recently about a publication in your honour that, the cruel hand of death will soon extinguish the bright light of the Savanna. Now that I have come to the hesitant admission that you are truly gone to join the league honour on the other side of the divine divide and the fact that, as Professor Moorie Shultz articulated with the brilliance of philosophy and stint of theology that the worst death could do is to take life but it cannot change relationship, I am profoundly indebted to speak about you as a great teacher and the mentor that you were to your students on the journey of life and pursuit of conjectural happiness. Prof., let me say this, unlike many of your generation in the academia, you were never conquered by jealousy and pursuit of careerist vendetta, you were always there to tutor and mentor the next generation of scholars. Prof., I am very proud to have known you closely and worked by your side at Nile University of Nigeria Abuja while I was serving as the Pro Chancellor and Chairman of Governing Council of Federal University of Petroleum Resources, Effurun and doubled as the Dean of Law of Nile University, Abuja where I am currently teaching. During our various meetings when you served as the Dean of Postgraduate School of Nile University of Nigeria Abuja, your eloquence and brilliance always illuminated the boardroom and your humbling exposition on issues with uppermost humility was legendary. And thus, you have left an indelible eternal impressions in all of us. Prof., permit me to say that, you were one of the rarest few of your generation that found their true purpose in life and never surrendered to toxic temptation of pursuit of blinded ambition and bizarre opportunism. You recognized the fact that, the virtues of integrity, morality, service to God and humanity are greater than trappings of cosmetic material adventurism. Indeed, when God created you Prof., He made your life a love letter to mundane greatness, unlike many of the human family, He did not allow you to come to this life to learn about the ethos of integrity, honour and purity of intent rather, He planted that in your heart and soul. You refused to follow the deranged majority in the desperate service of parochial survival, you were never among the rest but rather, always ahead of the rest and ahead of the learning curve. You were firm and resolute in the defence of the truth, you spoke the inconvenient truth to authority and rejected the lure of the disingenuity of political power. Albeit you have been called by your God to the other side to rest as a matter of divine Right and Ownership where your response was not open to options, nevertheless, we feel the gapping void and the deep pain of this exit. However, beyond the pain, by His divine graciousness, you have without a doubt lived a fulfilled life of mesmerizing accomplishments. Additionally, much as we deeply mourned your death, by equal measure, we also celebrate your life Prof. In this life, we are the mortal witnesses to the fact that, you were selfless in your understanding of the very essence of life and duty. Thus, every opportunity you were given to serve, you served with a daring dignity, honour and distinction so much so that, in my opinion Prof., you exhausted every frontier for a new challenge in your life. Thank you Prof., thank God for your life, you have served the North, you have served Nigeria and you have served your family meritoriously. As for your family, let me thank you for your sacrifices, thank you for your graciousness, most importantly, thank you for allowing us and the entire world to share him with you. Finally Prof., Goodnight, until we meet on the other side to part no more. Thank you, What a Life to Remember.
Culled from Kogi Central Think Tank Forum.
