CILS visits first Ilorin-born Professor, Saka Nuru
….canvasses support
By Abubakar Imam
The Director of the Centre for Ilorin Studies (CILS), University of Ilorin, Prof. Ali Arazim Abdullahi, penultimate Friday (October 2, 2026) led a delegation of the management of the Centre on a working visit to the first Professor from the Ilorin Emirate, Saka Nuru, at his Ile Onikoyi, Adeta residence, Ilorin.
Speaking during the visit, Prof. Abdullahi expressed gratitude to Allah for preserving the life of his host and in sound health 63 years after graduating as a veterinary doctor and fifty years after becoming a Professor of Veterinary Medicine at the Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, from where he eventually retired as a Deputy Vice Chancellor in 1991.
The Director said that the visit was to formally introduce the new management of the Centre to Prof. Nuru and to solicit his support towards the preservation of his legacies for future generations through a proposed “Documentary and Filming of Prominent Families and Quarters in Ilorin”.
He emphasised that the Centre was prepared to document his life, legacy, and scholarly achievements for posterity, adding that the Centre would also engage him in providing information on the connections between Ilorin and Ikoyi-Ile in the present-day Oyo State from where Prof. Nuru’s progenitors migrated to Ilorin about two centuries ago.
Prof. Abdullahi added that the present and future generations of the people of Ilorin Emirate and researchers needed to have insights into the paths taken by Prof. Nuru, which culminated in his emergence as a source of inspiration and a vital part of Ilorin’s intellectual history.
Responding, Prof. Saka Nuru, who recently marked his 91s birthday anniversary, said that he was delighted and honoured with the visit
Prof. Nuru, who previously served as the Chairman and Pro-Chancellor of the Kwara State University, Malete, appreciated the Centre for deeming it worthy to preserve Ilorin’s heritage through film and oral history.
The renowned scholar, therefore, gave his consent as he expressed willingness to grant the Centre a full recorded interview at a date convenient to him.
He, thereafter, wished the Director and his Deputy, Dr Mahmud Danjuma,who was also on the delegation, a very peaceful and rewarding tenure.
