By AbdurRaheem Sa’ad Dembo
When great men die the community or nation mourns, not only because of how important they were but also their impacts on others, and that will continue to resonate. In other words, when a person dies people mourn because of inevitability of death but on the death of great men, it goes beyond mourning. That was the case of our immediate past Magaji of Dembo’s family, Mallam Laaro Dembo. In fact, they say, the death of a reasonable old man is synonymous to the burnt of a library.
To the best of my knowledge, those that were growing up in the 70s, 80s, and 90s knew Mallam Dembo was a household name in the defunct Ilorin Local Government Secretariat and beyond. He was in charge of issuing out Citizenship Certificate. In fact, those who went to
to higher institutions of learning at that time can attest to the fact that he was fully in charge.
Most importantly, he was an embodiment of discipline and believed strongly in a corrupt -free society. He was a man of little words and very pragmatic. For instance, when I went to Kano in February 2022, i endeavoured to vist my brother, Abdulrahman Haroon and fortunately, I met his mum there. The moment she heard my name, she said you are from Brother Laaro’s family at Isale maliki. Yes, I said, in affirmation. She confirmed to me that He was a man of integrity and discipline. She also said he was her Boss in Ilorin Local Government in those days. We jointly prayed for his repose soul on that day.
His death on the night of 31st December, 2018 was a huge reminder that death would overtake each and every soul at the appointed time endorsed by the Almighty.
I was at the University of Ilorin Teaching Hospital with my brothers when we went to take his remains. On that night the nothingness of life tilted towards me and my thought.
I can remember in the year 2000 when myself and others had the opportunity to sit down with him in the night. He said, where were those in power before? In his words, “where is Abacha, Ahmadu Bello and Tafawa Balewa?” To him, amassing illicit wealth is dehumanizing and
anti God. That was his philosophy and he lived with it for the rest of his life.
He did not discriminate, he helped people silently; he had a good mind. He was kind to all his father’s wives.
Furthermore, when Professor Shuaib Oba Abdulraheem, the Talba of Ilorin Emirate paid a condolence visit to our family house during the mourning period, he described Mallam Laaro as a man of integrity. Sincerely, in his own class, he was an anti corruption champion.
Alhaji Lanre Dembo, described Mallam Laaro thus: “Boda Laaro Akowe was a silent philanthropist. He gave to the widows the little he had.
He was a defender of justice.” Dr Hameed Yahaya Alapansanpa (elder brother to the danmasani of Ilorin) told me “Laaro Dembo rescued me from the bullies who would always take my bicycle forcefully while we were in Okesuna Primary School.
He would say things the way it should be irrespective of whoever was involved.
He was quite principled.”
Mallam Yusuf Issa Aloba described him thus: “He lived a successful life in which so many people attested to his firmness in upholding the truth and nothing but the truth while in service and beyond.
May jannatul Firdaus continually be his final abode”.
Boda Laaro Akowe, as he was fondly called, had the opportunity to serve under the democratic government after his noble retirement but he declined for the reason best known to him.
Indeed, perfection belongs to Allah but these are the good deeds I know about him. May Allah grant him aljannah firdaus and aid us the living ones to do the right thing at all times.
