Professor Yusuf Lanre Badmas, the former Dean of Post-Graduate School, University of Ilorin, who died on Friday 30th January 2026 was a man of impeccable honour and admiration.
A special tribute issued by the Press Secretary to Emir of Ilorin, Dr. Abdulazeez Arowona, revealed how the late scholar stood firmly towards the upliftment of younger generations and the Ilorin Emirate at large.
I have known, admired and respected Professor Yusuf Lanre Badmas for many years because of the love he had for my late father, Alhaji S.A. Arowona. As a young man, I always admired the way he always visited my dad but I never had the privilege to know the contents or subjects of their discussions.
He often brought gift of Holy Quran to my dad each time he travelled to Saudi Arabia as well as Jalabia, which I eventually inherited when my father died on Saturday 29th January 2011.
Since the demise of my dad, I always remembered late Professor Badmas’s visit to our house and his love became so deep in my heart and each time I wore the Jalabia gifted to my dad by him, I always carried both of them in my heart in bed.
Professor Badmas did not know why I admired him. He later bagged another version of admiration from me when I discovered that he was monitoring my career progression and always at peace with all my professional achievements.
He often called me THE ROYAL EDITOR or MAI-MARTABA’s JOURNALIST due to my role as the Press Secretary to the Emir of Ilorin and Chairman Kwara State Traditional Rulers Council, His Royal Highness, Alhaji (Dr) Ibrahim Sulu-Gambari CFR.
In most cases, he prefer to confirm the authenticity of ambigous matters in the society through our news platform and atimes, he will put calls across to me for clarifications. He was nice to a fault, with this, I can never stop missing him.
However, he once contacted me to be the unofficial Public Relation Officer of the Hijrah Organization of Nigeria in Kwara State stressing that “being the Peess Secretary of our father, the Emir of Ilorin, I am feeling some how to engage you with any other tasks relating to media” .
Each time, he has anything to do occasionally, such as Congratulatory statement on behalf of HIJRAH ORGANIZATION OF NIGERIA, he will send me a text and I will comply immediately and ensure that a Press Statement is written and circulated to the media.
Hijrah Islamic Organisation salutes Emir of Ilorin on 29th coronation anniversary
When I embarked on the biography of Shaykh Muhammad Bashir Imam Solih OON, the 12th Chief Imam of Ilorin and Chairman Kwara State Council of Ulama tagged: The Spiritual Orator, I never hesitated to mention his name as the Scholar to write the FOREWARD and Review the all important book.
This was because I knew how Imam Agba liked him as a straightforward elderly scholar and community leader. The Chief Imam graciously approved his nomination among other things. While I was in Europe and battling with the book, I was already nearing about 90 percent completion, I called him and informed him of his roles to write the FOREWARD and also review the book.
With one phone dial, he was extremely happy and said: “Hope you know nobody has ever done this before, I am on standby for you, anything you want me to do, I am ready to be part of it.”
Throughout, my over 8hours on the train that day, I kept saying ALHAMDULILLAHI ROBIL ALAAAAMIN. To my surprise, Professor Yusuf Lanre Badmas became highly interested in the project and began to call me daily to know if I had sent the soft copy of the work to him for his assignment. What A Great Leader and Mentor!
At last, when I sent the work to him, he requested that I should include somethings to my intellectual work on Imam Gambari mosque which I mentioned in the book. Immediately I finished and reflected the idea that he gave me, I called to inform him, he said: “The Royal Editor, I am on my way now from Lagos, I trust you and I am always proud of you. The next thing you will see now is the FOREWARD.” Hmmmmm…. what a great honour and encouragement from a man who have seen it all in life!
SEE FOREWARD 
Our event, the unveiling of the book was scheduled for Thursday 27th November 2025. I had a privileged information that Professor Yusuf Lanre Badmas and Alhaji Ibrahim Abdullahi, the National Coordinator of the Muslim Media Watch Group of Nigeria (MMWGN) who also served as the Chairman Planning Committee for the event would be traveling for an event in the Eastern part of the country and that both of them won’t be available.
As a muslim, I put my hope and trust in Almighty Allah and I kept praying. Suddenly, two days to the event, Professor Yusuf Lanre Badmas called me and said: “Insha Allah, I will attend the event in-person. It is an event that I don’t pray to miss because, it will later become a monumental honour not to the Chief Imam of Ilorin alone but to the entire humanity. I have to stand firmly with you in solidarity. ”
I screamed and shouted ALLAHU AKBAR, ALHAMDULILLAHI, ALHAMDULILLAHI, ALHAMDULILLAHI ROBIL ALAAAAMIN.
Immediately the book was delivered to me in Ilorin about 24 hours to the event, I called Professor Yusuf Lanre Badmas to inform him that I wish to drop the original copy for him to enable him finalise his assignment as the BOOK REVIEWER.
I was driving along Ibrahim Taiwo road and he directed me to take the book to his house at Adewole Estate and drop the book with Mummy Hashir. With very energy, I complied Immediately.
Later he called to inform me that he was in the hospital just do some check-up and will be back home soon. As the convener of the event, I couldn’t hold the message with levity, I rushed to see him at Crescent Hospital, Tanke area Ilorin.
He told me that he will be fine and that I should go ahead with my arrangements. I left the hospital and proceeded to the Banquet Hall, Opposite Government House for the decoration and other things.
Around 11pm, Professor Yusuf Lanre Badmas called him and told me that he may not be physically present at the event but arrangements are underway for a quality representation. But that he still hope to attend.
I later got information of how Professor Badmas told his medical Doctor to please get him an injection that will allow him to move out of the hospital just for 30mins to 1 hour to carry out the assignment at the Banquet Hall. The Doctor told him that there is no injection that can give him such strength.
That was how Professor gave up and decided to send his son, Ustaz Abdulhameed Yusuf Lanre Badmas, an Associate Professor at the University of Ilorin who discharged the task excellently well.
Immediately, after the event, I went straight to the hospital to pay him a visit and thank him for the quality representation. Still, Professor told me that he watched the entire event on our facebook page while receiving treatment. What a great sacrifice, honour, humility, love and kindness!
I prayed for him and he told me so many things that day. It was in the presence of some of his children including Ustaz Shehu Yusuf Lanre Badmas, a professional colleague and friend.
Let me stop here for now. With all these brief narrations, I will continue to carry Professor Yusuf Lanre Badmas in very high esteem, even at death because he was one of the few elders that like to see younger ones doing good things, admiring them and encouraging them, mine is a case study.
May Almighty Allah continue to be pleased with his soul and comfort the wonderful families and legacies that he left behind.
Arowona Abdulazeez PhD, the Press Secretary to HRH Emir of Ilorin and Author of The Spiritual Orator writes via sardauna2@gmail.comÂ
