All Hail Professorial Attainment Of Yusuf Ali SAN
Aroads led to the Central Mosque, Obafemi Awolowo University ( OAU), Ile- Ife last Sunday where prayer and reception were held to celebrate the appointment of Mallam Yusuf Olaolu Ali SAN as Professor of Practice by the Federal University, Oye- Ekiti ( FUOYE) The quality and size of attendance at the two- in- one ceremony was a testimonial of the towering figure the awardee has become in the society, especially in the legal profession and academia globally.
The gathering was facilitated by Mallam Ali’s mentor, retired Emeritus Professor Omar Rahaman, a renowned Professor of Geology. It was a day filled with reminiscences, encomiums, banters and words of admonition for younger generation.
For Prof Rahaman, it was a payback as Ali had hosted a similar reception for him in 1987 when he was promoted Professor of Geology by the Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile- Ife.
A Professor of Medicine and Chief Imam of OAU Central Mosque, Abubakar Sanusi who anchored the prayer session said the Senior Advocate of Nigeria was well deserving of the elevation as a Professor of Practice as well as the honour done him by Professor Rahaman and all those who attended the event.
Registrar of the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board ( JAMB) and former Vice Chancellor of University of Ilorin, Prof Ishaq Oloyede shared Prof Sanusi’s views concerning the awardee.
He disclosed that Professor Yusuf Olaolu Ali SAN had indeed been lecturing at the Faculty of Law, University of Ilorin for the past 25 years more out of passion.
Thus, both Professors Sanusi and Oloyede said the elevation was a fulfilment of Allah’s design for Mallam Yusuf Olaolu Ali SAN.
The duo and other speakers at both the player session and the reception urged all and sundry to learn from the honouree’s devotion to selfless service, philanthropy s and abiding faith in Almighty Allah.
Vice- Chancellor of FUOYE, Prof. Abayomi Sunday Fasina while justifying the appointment of Mallam Yusuf Olaolu Ali SAN described him as rare breed.
He added that the appointment would lift FUOYE’S Faculty of Law to prominence given Ali’s vast knowledge of law, erudition and enormous expansion of knowledge in legal practice, spanning over four decades.
Prof Fasina stressed that ” With his new position, he would be required to deliver lectures to our students on procedural and substantive law periodically both online and offline. With his publication of 40 papers in law journals and 20 chapter contributions in books, Professor Yusuf Olaolu Ali, SAN, is no doubt qualified to be given the award. “
The new Professor of Practice of Law gained admission to University of Ife, Ile- Ife ( now OAU) in 1978 and graduated with a 2nd Class Upper Division for his Bachelor of Laws degree and was a winner of the Federal Merit Award for undergraduates. He bagged his Masters degree, also in flying colours, from the same university in 1991 and became a Senior Advocate of Nigeria in 1997.