UMC in grief over Yusuf’s demise
By Mubarak Oladosu
The leadership of the University of Ilorin Muslim Community (UMC) has been in a sombre mood since the death of one of the most prominent members of the community, Prof. Badmas Olanrewaju Yusuf, who was the Director of the Linguistic immersion Centre until his demise.
Speaking with UNILORIN Bulletin last Wednesday (January 5, 2026), the Chief Imam of the University Central Mosque, Prof. Nasir Abdulsalam, described Prof. Yusuf’s death as a colossal loss, which” is like a darkness cast on the UNILORIN Muslim Community and UNILORIN as a whole. ”
He noted that while Allah promised that all souls are bound to have a taste of death, the death of Prof. Yusuf transcends that of an individual because he was an institution on account of the multifaceted role he played in the social, religious and political spheres of the society.
Also speaking with a similar emotion-laden voice, the Chairman of UMC, Prof. Mudathir Olalere Yusuf, described Prof. Yusuf as an epitome of what a Muslim should be, noting that he had been at the forefront of Islamic propagation as a student since the late 70s up till the late 80s and he expressed gratitude to Allah for a life well spent.
In her view, the Amirah of the Unilorin Muslim Ladies Cycle (UMLC), Prof. Saudat Sallah Abdubaqi, noted that the demise of Prof. Yusuf has caused a great vacuum in the circle of scholarship and beyond.
She described him as a leader who was always quick to celebrate the success of younger ones and revealed that her last personal encounter with him was when he visited her upon her emergence as the Dean of the Faculty of Communication and Information Sciences and presented her a prayer book.
Also speaking, Prof. Azizat Omotoyosi Amoloye-Adebayo described the transition of Prof. Yusuf as a personal loss, having grown up in his presence. She averred that “there is no one like Allah and there is no one that is irreplaceable but when some people answer the inevitable call, you just have to learn how to live without them, you cannot replace them and I would say Prof. Yusuf Lanre Badmas is such a person.”
The Assistant Secretary of the UMC, who is also a Deputy Registrar in the University, Mr. Ishaq Abiodun Salami, recalled that he was an administrator at the Postgraduate School while Prof. Yusuf was the Dean, and Prof. Yusuf was more of a father who cared for the welfare of all his staff while also imparting a lot of moral lessons in his staff.
In the opinion of the Public Relations Officer of the Community, Mr Mubarak Oladosu, Prof. Yusuf was a phenomenal father-figure and Muslim cultural icon whose name would echo through ages to come for his knowledge, commitment, wisdom, wit, large heartedness and humility, attributes which he believes Prof.Yusuf had in common with Prophet Ibrahim.
Mr Oladosu added that just as Prophet Ibrahim left Prophets Ishaq and Ismail and other worthy progenies to carry on his legacies, the don similarly left behind progenies who would continue his legacies including the Secretary of the University of Ilorin Muslim Community, Dr. Abdulhamid Badmas Yusuf.
