Former Pro-Chancellor and Chairman of the Governing Council of the Federal University of Technology (FUT), Minna, Niger State, Professor Rufa’i Ahmed Alkali, has expressed deep sorrow over the deaths of two prominent Nigerian scholars, Professors Alhassan Mohammed Gani and Okelo Oculi.
Prof. Gani, a former Vice Chancellor of the Federal University of Kashere, Gombe State, died on Sunday, July 27, 2025. Prof. Oculi, a renowned public intellectual and academic at Ahmadu Bello University (ABU), Zaria, passed away a day earlier on Saturday, July 26, 2025.
In a condolence message, Prof. Alkali described both men as “great minds” whose contributions to academia extended far beyond their titles and publications. He said they would be remembered for the institutions they built and the lives they influenced.
“Professor Alhassan Mohammed Gani was a visionary educationist and an exemplary university administrator,” Alkali stated. He noted that Gani played a pivotal role in the foundational years of Federal University of Kashere, guiding the institution with clarity, humility, and dedication. Gani, he said, was committed to promoting access to quality education and human capital development, especially in Nigeria’s North East.
Alkali also paid tribute to Prof. Okelo Oculi, calling him a towering figure in African intellectual and literary circles. He described Oculi as a passionate advocate of Pan-Africanism and decolonization of African knowledge systems, whose work challenged social injustices and promoted cultural consciousness.
“Oculi wielded his pen with courage and conviction, standing as the conscience of the nation for decades,” he said, adding that his writings on African identity, political justice, and social critique will continue to resonate across generations.
Prof. Alkali said both men represented different but complementary dimensions of scholarship — one focused on academic leadership and institutional growth, the other on public intellectualism and cultural revival.
“As we mourn their exit, we pray for eternal peace for their souls and for strength to their families, colleagues, and students. Nigeria salutes them. Africa honours them. History will remember them,” Alkali concluded.
