Features

MK Sanni:A tribute to a generous Prince of Ijagbo-Dembo

Published

on

<p><&excl;-- BEGIN THEIA POST SLIDER --><&sol;p>&NewLine;<&excl;-- WP QUADS Content Ad Plugin v&period; 2&period;0&period;98 -->&NewLine;<div class&equals;"quads-location quads-ad4" id&equals;"quads-ad4" style&equals;"float&colon;none&semi;margin&colon;0px&semi;">&NewLine;&NewLine;<&sol;div>&NewLine;&NewLine;<p>&nbsp&semi;<&sol;p><div class&equals;"5c9qqnRJ" style&equals;"clear&colon;both&semi;float&colon;left&semi;width&colon;100&percnt;&semi;margin&colon;0 0 20px 0&semi;"><script async src&equals;"https&colon;&sol;&sol;pagead2&period;googlesyndication&period;com&sol;pagead&sol;js&sol;adsbygoogle&period;js"><&sol;script> &NewLine;<&excl;-- TV --> &NewLine;<ins class&equals;"adsbygoogle" &NewLine; style&equals;"display&colon;block" &NewLine; data-ad-client&equals;"ca-pub-4403533287178375" &NewLine; data-ad-slot&equals;"4399361195" &NewLine; data-ad-format&equals;"auto" &NewLine; data-full-width-responsive&equals;"true"><&sol;ins> &NewLine;<script> &NewLine; &lpar;adsbygoogle &equals; window&period;adsbygoogle &vert;&vert; &lbrack;&rsqb;&rpar;&period;push&lpar;&lbrace;&rcub;&rpar;&semi; &NewLine;<&sol;script><&sol;div>&NewLine;<p>By AbdurRaheem Sa&&num;8217&semi;ad Dembo<&sol;p><div class&equals;"Qh41VrCS" style&equals;"clear&colon;both&semi;float&colon;left&semi;width&colon;100&percnt;&semi;margin&colon;0 0 20px 0&semi;"><script async src&equals;"https&colon;&sol;&sol;pagead2&period;googlesyndication&period;com&sol;pagead&sol;js&sol;adsbygoogle&period;js"><&sol;script> &NewLine;<&excl;-- TV --> &NewLine;<ins class&equals;"adsbygoogle" &NewLine; style&equals;"display&colon;block" &NewLine; data-ad-client&equals;"ca-pub-4403533287178375" &NewLine; data-ad-slot&equals;"4399361195" &NewLine; data-ad-format&equals;"auto" &NewLine; data-full-width-responsive&equals;"true"><&sol;ins> &NewLine;<script> &NewLine; &lpar;adsbygoogle &equals; window&period;adsbygoogle &vert;&vert; &lbrack;&rsqb;&rpar;&period;push&lpar;&lbrace;&rcub;&rpar;&semi; &NewLine;<&sol;script><&sol;div>&NewLine;<p>It is significant and imperative to remember those who have lived a life worthy of emulation&period;Great men exist in every city and town &period;In Ijagbo town in Kwara State&comma;MK Sanni was a household name because of his contributions to the development of the town&period;I don&&num;8217&semi;t think many won&&num;8217&semi;t doubt about anyone&&num;8217&semi;s ancestral connectivity if he or she is from Ijagbo and does not know Alhaji Mohammad Kajogbola Ajao Sanni Popularly Known as MK Sanni&comma; when he was alive&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>He was a business mogul in Ilorin&period; History has it that he started his business in Ghana before relocating to Nigeria &period; While in Ghana&comma;he joined Patterson Zochonic between 1951 and 1954&period;M&period;K Sanni resigned from PZ Company in 1954 and registered as a diamond dealer in the Gold Coast &lpar;Ghana&rpar;&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>As a diamond dealer&comma; that gave him the opportunity to tour all the nooks and crannies of the Gold Coast and the West African sub- region&period;In 1961 Alhaji MK Sanni returned home from Ghana and later decided to settle in Ilorin&comma;where he registered as a contractor and a business man with the name Alhaji M&period;K Sanni and Sons Company&period;<&sol;p><div class&equals;"2ZyccuDs" style&equals;"clear&colon;both&semi;float&colon;left&semi;width&colon;100&percnt;&semi;margin&colon;0 0 20px 0&semi;"><script async src&equals;"https&colon;&sol;&sol;pagead2&period;googlesyndication&period;com&sol;pagead&sol;js&sol;adsbygoogle&period;js"><&sol;script> &NewLine;<ins class&equals;"adsbygoogle" &NewLine; style&equals;"display&colon;block&semi; text-align&colon;center&semi;" &NewLine; data-ad-layout&equals;"in-article" &NewLine; data-ad-format&equals;"fluid" &NewLine; data-ad-client&equals;"ca-pub-4403533287178375" &NewLine; data-ad-slot&equals;"6550225277"><&sol;ins> &NewLine;<script> &NewLine; &lpar;adsbygoogle &equals; window&period;adsbygoogle &vert;&vert; &lbrack;&rsqb;&rpar;&period;push&lpar;&lbrace;&rcub;&rpar;&semi; &NewLine;<&sol;script><&sol;div>&NewLine;<p>As a young man who was dynamic&comma;vibrant and versatile&comma;he was chosen as a councillor representing Ijagbo Ward when Oyun Local Government was created in 1969&period;In 1972&comma; he was appointed a director in the then Kwara State Investment Corp&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<&excl;-- WP QUADS Content Ad Plugin v&period; 2&period;0&period;98 -->&NewLine;<div class&equals;"quads-location quads-ad4" id&equals;"quads-ad4" style&equals;"float&colon;none&semi;margin&colon;0px&semi;">&NewLine;&NewLine;<&sol;div>&NewLine;&NewLine;<p>As a business merchant in foam products in Ilorin&comma; Alhaji MK Sanni travelled to the United Kingdom and was in London between August and September 1981&comma; for more business opportunities and expansion&period;He became the first businessman to introduce imported and Arabian rugs to Ilorin in 1981&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>Significantly&comma;he was a prominent philanthropist in his good old days as he did help many among which were indigines and non indigines of Ijagbo town in the attainment of their dreams&period;The late Icon made a remarkable contribution to the development of Ijagbo&period;Thus&colon;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>&ast;It was during his tenure as a councillor that pipe borne water got to Ijagbo township &period;He contributed to the construction of Ijagbo Post office&comma; police station and establishment of Ansarudeen College&comma;Ijagbo&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>From the information available&comma; which I extracted from his short biography he also paid taxes for some aged people in 1979&comma;1980 and in 1981 in Ijagbo township&period;He was a peace maker and a frontliner in the town&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>It can also be deduced from his autobiography that late Alhaji Mohammad Kajogbola Ajao Sanni&comma;played a gallantry and eminent role in the resolution of the long chieftaincy title of Onijagbo of Ijagbo that occurred between 1969-2011&comma;through the efforts of his close friend&comma;Chief Afe Babalola &lpar;SAN&rpar;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>&&num;8220&semi;All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy&&num;8221&semi;&comma; despite his busy business life he was also a great socialite in his hey days&comma;a staunch member of the then Ilorin club who later became a life patron of the club&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>To me and many&comma;he was not an ordinary person you can come across without emulating him&comma; because he believed so much in touching the lives of his family members by making them self sufficient&period;He did not belong to the school of thought of giving people fish and declining to teach them how to fish&period;His own robust philosophy was to empower the people so that they can also become employers of Labour&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>Some people believe they should shine alone without picking anyone along&comma; that was not the trait of Alhaji MK Sanni&period;He would ensure that his brothers excelled along with him&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>There is no doubt about the fact that the Sanni family and our family have close association&comma; because of the relationship between late Sheikh Suleman Jieli Imam Dembo and Alhaji MK Sanni&period;That actually availed me the opportunity as a young child to see the late Icon whenever he would come around&period;Besides&comma; one of the Sannis &comma;late Surajudeen Salahudeen Sanni was my good friend&comma;may Allah grant him aljannah firdaus&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>This piece about the late prominent Ijagbo son can&&num;8217&semi;t be complete without reaching out to others&period;Here is what Laaro Feyishara Sanni said about the late Icon&colon;&&num;8221&semi;He was the kindest of the lot&comma;he was a great uncle who made sure everyone in his family was not left out&comma; he made my dad &lpar;Late Alhaji L&period;O Sanni Rightway&rpar; who he was&period; He was a selfless wall breaker that you didn&&num;8217&semi;t have to know to benefit from&comma;just walk up to him and ask for his help irrespective of who you are&comma; he would go to any length to help you&period; He was truly a loving Uncle whom I loved dearly&period; He was the face of a true patriarchy&&num;8221&semi;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<&excl;-- WP QUADS Content Ad Plugin v&period; 2&period;0&period;98 -->&NewLine;<div class&equals;"quads-location quads-ad1" id&equals;"quads-ad1" style&equals;"float&colon;none&semi;margin&colon;0px&semi;">&NewLine;&NewLine;<&sol;div>&NewLine;&NewLine;<p>Similarly&comma;Alhaji AbdurRaheem Kola Dembo also described Alhaji MK Sanni this way&colon; &&num;8221&semi; Alhaji loved Muslim clerics so much that he never wanted to see them in poverty&period;He encouraged our father that his children should combine Islamic education with Western education&period;Anything about Islam&comma;he would ensure he contributed his own quota&period;He trained his children in the way of Allah&period;He was a great family man&&num;8221&semi;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>Barrister Sikiru Sanni opines&colon;&&num;8221&semi;He was a loving and great father&comma;grand &comma; great grand father and philanthropist per excellence&period;A great community leader who worked tirelessly to bring development to ijagbo&period;He was a father that any child will love to have&period;He was a great man&period;Adieu a Loving father&period;&&num;8221&semi;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>Alhaja Hafsat Sanni&comma;who is also one of the daughters of Alhaji MK Sanni captured her father as &&num;8220&semi;Abiyamo tooto&&num;8221&semi; meaning a good parent&period;She explained that her father was caring to all his children&period;Right from the time they were single and even after they were married&period;She said&comma;&&num;8221&semi;My father was generous to both family members and outsiders&period;He was always willing to assist others&period;I cannot say everything about him&comma;even as I say this&comma;tears are rolling down my cheeks&&num;8221&semi;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>Alhaja Kudirat Sanni Na&&num;8217&semi;Allah asserts&colon;&&num;8221&semi;<br &sol;>&NewLine;Baami&comma;as we normally called him was a great &amp&semi; religious man&period;A loving &amp&semi; caring father&period;He did everything to make us great &amp&semi; successful&comma;even after marriage&period;<br &sol;>&NewLine;We will never forget him &amp&semi; all his legacies&period;May his soul rest in peace &amp&semi; May Allah SWT continue to be with the family &amp&semi; further cement our relationship&period;&&num;8221&semi;Dad&comma; you have always been my pillar of strength&comma; my protector&comma; and the best father&period;I am forever grateful to have you&period;&&num;8221&semi;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>Furthermore&comma; Mallam Ibrahim Sanni has this to say about his father&comma;&&num;8221&semi;My dad &lpar;Alhaji M&period;K Sanni&rpar; was awesome&period; He cared a lot and loved us no matter what&period; He&&num;8217&semi;s an amazing listener – not just listening but understanding how we felt&period; No matter what mess we were in&comma; he never judged&period; Instead&comma; he helped us find solutions&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>His love was like a rock that never budged&comma; even if we made mistakes&period; Whenever we were in any not so good situations&comma; he did not criticize but supported and guided us&period; He was not just a problem solver&semi; he was like a wise friend&comma; he helped us figure things out&period;He sorted us&period;In the story of my life&comma; my dad was a hero&comma; painted with colors of care&comma; love&comma; and always being there for us&&num;8221&semi;&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>Barrister Abolanle Sanni Babs-Farouk wrote&comma;<br &sol;>&NewLine;&&num;8220&semi;My dad was a doting father&comma;a man of virtue and considerable intellect&comma;a lover of people who was adored by all for his standards of humanity&period;He loved and cared for all his children and others alike&period;His love and struggle for his community was one that can be said to be heroic&period;I miss you every single day&comma;dad&excl;&&num;8221&semi;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>Lateefat Sanni Giwa also said&comma;&&num;8221&semi;Even though my dad is no longer with us&comma; his impact lingers in the precious memories we shared&period; He was caring&comma; loving&comma; and an extraordinary listener&period; No matter what&comma; he never judged and always offered solutions with a wise and gentle touch&period;Though he is no longer physically present&comma; his love remains alive in our hearts&period; In the chapters of my life&comma; his memory is a beacon of unconditional love&comma; guiding me through challenges&period; Though he may be late&comma; the essence of his caring nature continues to shapen my journey&comma; a legacy of love that time can never erase&period;&&num;8221&semi;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>Essentially&comma;According to Mahatma Ghandhi &&num;8220&semi;man becomes great exactly in the degree in which he works for the welfare of his fellow men&&num;8221&semi;&period;Alhaji MK Sanni lived a life worthy of emulation and in the service to humanity&period;One Should endeavour to touch the lives of others positively&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>Doing good by helping others is highly rewarding&comma;so those who understand would leverage on that&period;In Suratu Fussilat verse 46&comma; Allah says&&num;8221&semi;whoever does righteousness -it is for his &lpar;own&rpar;soul&semi;and whoever does evil &lpar;does so&rpar;against it&period;And your Lord is not ever unjust to&lpar;His&rpar; servants&period;&&num;8221&semi;&period; After one&&num;8217&semi;s demise the person&&num;8217&semi;s good or bad deed will keep resonating as people will discuss you&period;Alhaji MK had prepared his life for people to say good things about him in order to receive the mercy of Allah&period;May Allah forgive him of his shortcomings&period;Being kind&comma; generous or helpful to others does not shorten one&&num;8217&semi;s life span as many would believe &period;The business Mogul and great Prince of Ijagbo lived long in the service to humanity&period;Do not listen to anyone who would be discouraging you from assisting others&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>Today&comma;no one can write the history of Ijagbo town without mentioning the name of this frontline Prince and philanthropist&comma;Alhaji MK Sanni&period;May Allah grant him continuous mercy in his grave and grant him aljannah firdaus&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>Notable among his close friends were the late Alhaji Sheikh Jieli Suleiman&comma;the Magaji of Ile Dembo&comma;Ilorin&comma;the Late Alhaji Adamu Atta&comma;former Governor of Kwara State and the late Chief Oni&comma;owner and founder of the Circular Hotels in Ilorin among others&period;He died on the 8th of January&comma; 2021&comma;having lived for 99 years&period;<br &sol;>&NewLine;&&num;8221&semi; Sun re o&comma;Emukay&comma;o gbe&&num;8217&semi;se meji ba&&num;8217&semi;ra waju&excl;&&num;8221&semi;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>Ijagbo town is blessed with many great sons and daughters&comma;among them is the current Minister of Justice and Attorney -General of the Federation Lateef Fagbemi&comma;SAN<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p><&excl;-- END THEIA POST SLIDER -->&NewLine;<&excl;-- WP QUADS Content Ad Plugin v&period; 2&period;0&period;98 -->&NewLine;<div class&equals;"quads-location quads-ad5" id&equals;"quads-ad5" style&equals;"float&colon;none&semi;margin&colon;0px&semi;">&NewLine;&NewLine;<&sol;div>&NewLine;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<script async src&equals;"https&colon;&sol;&sol;pagead2&period;googlesyndication&period;com&sol;pagead&sol;js&sol;adsbygoogle&period;js"><&sol;script> &NewLine;<ins class&equals;"adsbygoogle" &NewLine; style&equals;"display&colon;block" &NewLine; data-ad-format&equals;"autorelaxed" &NewLine; data-ad-client&equals;"ca-pub-4403533287178375" &NewLine; data-ad-slot&equals;"1004305389"><&sol;ins> &NewLine;<script> &NewLine; &lpar;adsbygoogle &equals; window&period;adsbygoogle &vert;&vert; &lbrack;&rsqb;&rpar;&period;push&lpar;&lbrace;&rcub;&rpar;&semi; &NewLine;<&sol;script>&NewLine;<&excl;-- WP QUADS Content Ad Plugin v&period; 2&period;0&period;98 -->&NewLine;<div class&equals;"quads-location quads-ad3" id&equals;"quads-ad3" style&equals;"float&colon;none&semi;margin&colon;0px&semi;">&NewLine;&NewLine;<&sol;div>&NewLine;&NewLine;

Trending

Exit mobile version