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THE ENDURING PRESTIGE OF PROFESSOR SANI LAWAN MALUMFASHI: A LEGACY OF WISDOM, TRUST, INTEGRITY, AND LEADERSHIP IN THE HEART OF NORTHERN NIGERIA.

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2 months ago

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By. Ahmad Muhammad Sani Gwarzo , Anipr.

The story of Professor Sani Lawan Malumfashi enters a profound new chapter—one shaped by the calm resilience of a seasoned academic, the loyalty of those who believe in his character and the values that have guided his life for decades. As public conversations continue to rise and fade, one truth becomes clearer: his legacy reaches far beyond the passing storms of public scrutiny.

To many, the professor’s journey stands as a testament to the enduring power of intellect and discipline. He is part of a rare generation of northern intellectuals whose knowledge is not merely academic, but deeply rooted in wisdom, community experience and moral consciousness. His colleagues often describe him as a man who reads life as carefully as he reads books.

In every institution he served, his presence brought a sense of maturity. He carried himself with the calm assurance of someone who understood both his responsibilities and the weight of his influence. Students recall the confident but humble professor who entered the lecture hall with precision, delivering each idea with clarity, balance and thoughtful depth.

Among the qualities most celebrated about him is his trustworthiness. People who interacted with him closely speak of a man who honored his words as commitments. His promises were modest, but his actions were dependable. He represented a model of leadership anchored not in authority, but in credibility.

In academic discussions, the professor was known for his sharp analytical mind. He possessed the rare ability to separate emotion from reason, ensuring that every conclusion was grounded in evidence. This intellectual discipline shaped his reputation as someone who approached every task—even simple ones—with seriousness and purpose.

His wisdom extended beyond books and politics. It showed in the way he related to people. His peers often say that the professor listened before he spoke, observed before he judged and advised only when necessary. This reflective personality became a defining trait of his leadership style.

Integrity has always been considered his most enduring quality. The professor lived in accordance with his values—simplicity, fairness, and self-restraint. Neighbors and acquaintances describe him as a man who avoided conflict, avoided extravagance, and avoided anything that compromised his peace of mind.

These values shaped his relationships with some of Kano’s most influential leaders. His professional respect for His Excellency, Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf, FNISE, is a significant part of his story. Observers note that the professor maintained a relationship built on courteous dialogue, shared developmental aspirations, and mutual recognition of service to the public.

The governor is known for appreciating competence, honesty, and loyalty—qualities many believe the professor embodied. Their relationship, supporters say, reflected the intersection of academic intelligence and leadership responsibility. It was grounded in professionalism rather than political calculation.

Another important influence in the professor’s journey has been the iconic founder of the Kwankwasiyya Movement and national leader of the NNPP, Dr. Senator Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso. Known across Nigeria for his discipline, courage, and leadership philosophy, Dr. Kwankwaso represents the kind of public figure the professor respects deeply.

Those who have observed the professor’s relationship with Dr. Kwankwaso describe it as one defined by admiration. The professor appreciated Kwankwaso’s commitment to education, youth empowerment, and structural governance. Supporters point out that both men share a disciplined lifestyle and a sober approach to leadership.

Within the circles of the Kwankwasiyya philosophy, values such as humility, justice, and service are non-negotiable. These values align closely with the personality of Professor Malumfashi, which explains why many within the movement view him with respect. His academic discipline mirrors the movement’s intellectual backbone.

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The professor’s calm demeanor, even in challenging times, further strengthens the belief that he embodies the qualities that great institutions value. Supporters argue that his composure reflects inner strength rather than public pressure. They see a man who trusts the process of justice, respects the rule of law, and maintains dignity through every phase of his journey.

As public discussions continue, one striking pattern appears: the professor is often described as a man whose understanding of governance is shaped by fairness. His former students recall learning from him that leadership must never be a tool of oppression but a responsibility rooted in justice.

His long years in academia nurtured in him a respect for evidence, procedure, and balanced judgment. These principles shaped not only his teaching but his approach to public leadership. Supporters argue that these values should be remembered and appreciated as part of his overall legacy.

In the communities that know him well, the professor remains a respected figure. Elders see him as a symbol of intellectual pride. Young people admire him as a mentor whose achievements show that education can elevate a person to high responsibility. Civic organizations speak of him as a man who contributed to
societal growth without seeking personal reward.

As society reflects on his contributions, one aspect becomes undeniable: Professor Malumfashi symbolizes a generation of Nigerians who invested their lives in knowledge-building rather than wealth accumulation. This alone differentiates him from many of his contemporaries.

The professor’s supporters often highlight that he lived modestly even when he held influential positions. His house, lifestyle, and personal conduct remain consistent with the principles of simplicity that he taught in classrooms for decades. This coherence deepens the public perception that the professor’s character is not shaped by circumstances but by conviction.

His relationship with people across different social classes further strengthens his enduring reputation. Whether speaking with a student, a civil servant, a political leader, or a market trader, the professor maintained an equal level of respect and patience. His humanity made him accessible, approachable, and widely appreciated.

Among his close associates, the professor is often celebrated for his deep emotional intelligence. He understands the power of empathy in leadership. His guidance is often calm, steady, and grounded in experience rather than reaction. These traits made him a stabilizing influence in many professional settings.

When debates arise about his public life, supporters insist that the professor’s legacy cannot be reduced to legal headlines. They argue that the measure of a man lies in decades of consistent behavior, not in the turbulence of a particular moment. His supporters emphasize that such turbulence does not erase his contributions.

To many, the professor remains a national asset—a scholar who helped shape the intellectual foundations of northern Nigeria. His community engagement, academic service, and calm leadership style are seen as qualities worthy of recognition wherever integrity is valued.

Over time, stories about the professor’s kindness continue to surface. Students narrate how he supported them during difficult periods. Friends describe how he offered guidance without expecting anything in return. Colleagues recall his commitment to teamwork and institutional progress.

These stories collectively paint a portrait of a man deeply rooted in goodness, humility and responsibility. Supporters believe that this foundation of character will continue to shape public memory long after current discussions fade.

As Part Three of his journey unfolds, the professor’s narrative becomes not only a personal story but a reflection of Nigeria’s search for leaders who carry wisdom, integrity and community loyalty. It is a search for individuals whose character remains strong even when tested by the complexities of public life.

For those who admire him, the professor stands among such individuals. They believe that his legacy will ultimately highlight the values he upheld—not the challenges he encountered. They believe that future generations will remember him as an educator, a thinker, a peaceful citizen and a man of disciplined principles.

His life continues to inspire conversations about trust, leadership and ethical responsibility. These conversations form an essential part of his evolving story—a story shaped not by the voices of critics but by the enduring truth of character.

In this broader view, the professor remains a symbol of what it means to serve with dignity, to teach with sincerity and to live with purpose. His journey continues to resonate because it reflects the timeless values of wisdom, humility and honor.

As the narrative moves forward, one idea becomes central: the professor’s contributions to education and community development form the foundation upon which his legacy will stand. His values continue to echo through the lives he touched.

The professor’s story, like all stories of great men, is one of resilience. It is the story of a scholar who walked through the world with dignity, who built bridges with people and who held firm to his beliefs even when tested.

In this final portrait, he stands as a figure whose wisdom shaped many, whose integrity guided him and whose trustworthiness earned him a permanent place in the hearts of countless Nigerians.

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Opinion

Bauchi at Fifty: A State That Learned to Become

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9 hours ago

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February 5, 2026

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By: Lamara Garba Azare

Bauchi was not born in silence. On the third day of February 1976, it arrived with the quiet dignity of history unfolding, carved out of the old North Eastern State, not merely as a political entity but as a promise. A promise that people mattered. A promise that governance could be closer to the heartbeat of the land. A promise that a place shaped by savannah winds, ancient footsteps, and resilient souls deserved its own name and destiny.

In those earliest days, the founding leaders stood before an unformed canvas. There were no clear roads, only directions. No settled institutions, only intentions. Men like Mohammed Bello Kaliel and the first set of military administrators did not inherit comfort. They inherited responsibility. With discipline and restraint, they laid the skeletal frame of a state yet to find its voice. Ministries were formed, public service took its first breath, and order was introduced where uncertainty once loomed. Their service was not loud, but it was consequential. They held Bauchi together when it was most fragile, and history must remember them not for what was absent, but for what they preserved.

Then came the gentle dawn of civilian rule and with it the reassuring presence of Abubakar Tatari Ali. His leadership spoke directly to the soul of the people. Roads stretched outward as symbols of connection, farms rose as declarations of self belief, industries emerged as statements of confidence, and Bauchi began to imagine itself beyond survival. He governed with faith in possibility and left behind a lesson that development is not only measured in concrete and steel, but in hope restored and dignity affirmed.

The years that followed were long and demanding. Military administrators came and went, each carrying the weight of stewardship in difficult times. Mohammed Sani Sami, Chris Abutu Garuba, Joshua Madaki, Abu Ali, Wing Commander James Yana Kalau, Rasheed Adisa Raji, Theophilus Bamigboye and Abdul Adamu Mshelia each, in their own seasons, kept the machinery of governance alive. These were years of holding the centre, of completing water projects so thirst would not rule, of strengthening hospitals so life could be preserved, of nurturing sports and social cohesion so the human spirit would not be crushed. Bauchi learned patience in those years. It learned that progress does not always arrive with celebration, but often with quiet persistence.

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The brief return of democracy in the early nineties under Dahiru Mohammed rekindled hope, only for it to be interrupted again. Yet the idea of civilian choice never died. It waited patiently in the consciousness of the people. And when it returned in 1999, it returned with purpose.

Ahmadu Adamu Muazu’s era marked a turning point that still echoes across the state. Schools multiplied, classrooms filled, enrolment soared, and Bauchi found itself counted among Nigeria’s strongest performers in education. Roads stitched communities together, water flowed where scarcity once reigned, electricity reached villages long forgotten by the grid, and healthcare gained renewed attention. His leadership proved that when people are placed at the centre of policy, development responds naturally. Many families still live inside the outcomes of those years, sometimes without knowing the names of the policies that made them possible.

Isa Yuguda and Mohammed Abdullahi Abubakar governed in times shaped by complexity. Economic pressure, national uncertainty, and rising security concerns tested the limits of leadership. Yet governance continued. Roads were maintained, institutions sustained, and the state was kept standing when the ground beneath Nigeria often felt unsteady. Their stewardship reminded the people that leadership is not always about expansion, but about preservation, about ensuring that the house does not collapse while waiting for renovation.

Today, under Bala Mohammed, Bauchi speaks again in the language of renewal. Roads are being rebuilt not just as infrastructure but as arteries of opportunity. Schools are being restored, health facilities revived, urban spaces reimagined, and economic empowerment extended to women and youths who for too long stood at the margins. Investment summits invite the world to see Bauchi differently, not as an afterthought, but as a land of promise. His leadership reflects a belief that governance must listen, that peace must be cultivated, and that development must feel human.

As Bauchi marks fifty years, this is not merely a roll call of leaders. It is a collective tribute. To those who laid foundations when there was little applause. To those who governed in difficult seasons without surrender. To those who expanded opportunity and those who protected stability. To civil servants who kept institutions alive, teachers who shaped minds in overcrowded classrooms, farmers who planted hope in stubborn soil, and communities who believed that this state belonged to them.

As Bauchi steps into the future, it does so with memory in its hands and hope in its eyes. The past has spoken through sacrifice, the present breathes through responsibility, and the future waits for courage. What remains certain is this: Bauchi has never been defined by the ease of its journey, but by the strength of its will. From those who laid the first stones to those who now carry the torch, the story continues not as an echo of yesterday, but as a call to tomorrow. And as long as its people believe in the dignity of service, the power of unity, and the promise of becoming better than before, Bauchi will not merely endure. It will rise, again and again.

Lamara Garba Azare, a veteran journalist, writes from Kano

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Opinion

Who Will Speak for Young Nigerians Dying for Russia?

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2 days ago

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February 3, 2026

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By, Alhassan Bala

The silence is deafening. While South Africa and Kenya agitate loudly for the return of their citizens deceived into fighting Russia’s war in Ukraine, Nigeria remains conspicuously quiet about its own sons being used as cannon fodder on foreign battlefields.

In January 2026, Kenyan social media platforms were flooded with images of young Kenyans killed while fighting for Russia.

In South Africa, the issue turned to politics as an elite was accused of sending young South Africans to Russia to join the army and fight in Ukraine.

However, the stories of the victims from Nigeria paint a horrific image, especially as among those faces was one that haunts the most: Anas Adam from Kano State, Nigeria. His story is not unique, but it demands to be told.

On November 10, 2025, Anas boarded an Egypt Air flight from Lagos, telling friends he was traveling to Russia for business. Within days, the cheerful entrepreneur’s voice had changed to one of desperation. In a WhatsApp voice note, he pleaded with friends to pray for him that “things have changed,” he said cryptically. Soon after, his photograph appeared online, wearing a Russian army uniform.

Two months after, precisely on January 10, 2026, his family received news of his death not from Nigerian authorities, not from the Russian government, but from a Kenyan he had met in Russia.

He was not alone. Two others: Abubakar and a man named Tunde left Nigeria the same day. Another young man from Kano had already died on the frontlines. Records have shown that more are presently processing visas to Russia, some fully aware of what awaits them: the plan to join the army, while others have been hoodwinked with promises of scholarships or employment.

The Deception Machine

During a visit to Ukraine in June, 2024, I met prisoners of war from Ghana, Egypt, Somalia, and Togo; young Africans were lured to Russia through various schemes. Their testimonies revealed a pattern of systematic deception and exploitation.

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A Somali prisoner told me he was promised a Russian passport and received an advance of $20,000 deposited in a new Russian bank account. An Egyptian was given a choice: fight in Ukraine or complete his prison sentence in Russia. A Ghanaian who had applied for a scholarship found no academic program waiting but only a contract he signed without fully understanding, binding him to military service.

During that time there was no Nigerian captured or reported killed while fighting for Russia which made me think there were no Nigerians lured to join the Russian army but I was wrong as few weeks after some Nigerians were announced as prisoners of war, captured by Ukrainian forces.

This brazen deceit continues even in death. The agency that processed Anas’s trip operates from Kaduna State. Despite promises to visit his bereaved family, they have offered only excuses. There will be no compensation, no official acknowledgment, no dignity in his death.

Where Is Nigeria’s Voice?

Ghana has initiated discussions with Ukrainian authorities for the return of its citizens currently serving as prisoners of War. Authorities in Kenya and the media have raised alarm about their young people being exploited as mercenaries. South Africa and Kenya are demanding answers. Action is certainly coming.

Despite these efforts by theese African countries, there is still nothing coming out from Nigeria or its agencies like Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NiDCom).

These young men are not statistics. They are sons, brothers, friends and are people with dreams who believed they were pursuing opportunities, not marching toward unmarked graves in a foreign war. They deserve better than to die unacknowledged, their families left without answers, compensation, or even the return of their remains.

During my time in Lviv and Kyiv, I experienced firsthand the terror of air raid sirens announcing imminent drones and missile attacks. I saw the reality of the war these young Africans are being fed into often without proper training, documentation, or legal protections regarding insurance and other rights. When I returned to Nigeria, I carried the trauma of those sirens with me. How much worse for those who never make it home?

A Call to Action

. The Nigerian government must break its silence. Our Ministry of Foreign Affairs should immediately:

. Investigate how many Nigerian citizens have been recruited into the Russian military?

. Demand accountability from recruitment agencies operating within our borders

. Engage with Ukrainian authorities to secure the return of any Nigerian prisoners of war

. Warn young Nigerians about these deceptive recruitment schemes

It does not stop there as civil society organisations, the media, and concerned citizens must amplify these stories. We cannot allow our young people to become invisible casualties in someone else’s war.

Anas Adam’s friends posted his pictures in Russian army uniform as a memorial. But memorials are not enough. His death, and the deaths of others like him, demand investigation, accountability, and action.

Who will speak for young Nigerians dying for Russia? If we do not raise our voices now, the answer may be: no one. And that silence will cost more young lives.

Alhassan Bala, OSINT specialist, Researcher writes this from Abuja

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Opinion

When The Sun Newspaper Shines DSP Barau in Lagos

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4 days ago

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February 1, 2026

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By Abba Anwar

The patriotic commitment for his role in national cohesion, integration and overall national development, Deputy Senate President, His Excellency (Dr) Barau I Jibrin, CFR, is practically recognized along the breadth and length of the country. Such recognition is spotted across ethnic groups, different geographical locations and status.

As The Sun Newspaper believes, after some diligent scrutiny and due process, finds the Senator worthy of the Sun’s Humanitarian Service Icon Award. Respected media professionals of global repute, like the former Governor of Ogun state, an elder statesman, Chief Olusegun Osoba, corroborated with the Sun’s decision for the Award, in favour of DSP.

It took the newspaper months beaming its searchlight on all categories of patriotic and disciplined Nigerians, on who the cap fits, in accordance with their set standards and impartial acknowledgement of high standard. Purposely on Nigerian project.

Which covers many areas of human endeavor. Including humanitarian interventions, commitment to education, promotion of peaceful Nigeria, bridge building role across all sections of the country and faith in national development.

The correct choice of His Excellency, Jibrin, after rigorous and scientific process speaks volumes of his commitment in making Nigeria great again. No wonder he is listed among the best elected leaders in Nigeria, who are frontliners in spearheading President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda Initiative.

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Chief Osoba, presented the Award to the DSP, on behalf of the founder of the newspaper, Chief Orji Uzo Kalu. During the presentation, Osoba hailed that, “This is my son, in whom I am very, very pleased to present this Award on behalf of the Sun’s founder, Chairman and management. He is making us proud. I’m proud of him.”

The event took place at the Expo Convention Centre, Eko Hotels and Suites, Victoria Island, Lagos. Osoba’s complimentary remarks on Senator Jibrin, explains greater reflection of the Senator’s role in national politics, unwavering commitment to nation building, uninterrupted faith in the Nigerian project and high sense of patriotism, among many others.

To further encourage others and boost their morale, to take a leaf from him, His Excellency, Jibrin acknowledges that, “Sun’s Newspapers selected me for the Award in recognition of my tireless efforts to promote human dignity and community development nationwide.”

He takes the Award as a challenge to further his good work in the country. He believes that, “I’m delighted. And let me say that this Award is a way to propel me to do more in my humanitarian activities for people in need. The award is a propeller to propel me to do more.”

Many of those who made remarks at the occasion, believe that, DSP Jibrin is a bridge builder, philanthropist par excellence, a hard working legislator, who promotes synergy and good working relationship, between National Assembly and the Executive arm of government and one of the few political messiah we have in the country.

It has already been established since the return of democracy, in 1999, that the Deputy Senate President, is identified as one of the pillars of democracy in the country. While he is busy with his legislative responsibilities, that does not divert his attention from discharging his primary responsibility, for his constituency and other parts of the political entity.

With people like DSP on the ground, whose grip on the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) is firm, back home in his constituency, Kano North Senatorial District, Kano state, and the North West region, including the North as a whole, President Tinubu could be on solid footing.

Anwar writes from Kano
Sunday, 1st February, 2026

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