A popular politician in Ilorin, Kwara State, Hon Salihu Bamidele Aluko penultimate Thursday held a prayer service in honour of his late father, Alhaji Sa’ad Bamidele Aluko.
The late Alhaji Sa’ad Bamidele Aluko died on February 15,1984.
The prayer service held to mark Alhaji Sa’ad Bamidele Aluko’s 40th death anniversary at Alabi Owo Street, off Amodu Road was attended by dignitaries including Chairman of LUBCON Group, Alhaji Jani Ibrahim, Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq’s Special Adviser and Counselor, Alhaji Saadu Salahudeen, Special Adviser on Communications, Alhaji Bashir Adigun, Special Assistant on Religious Matters (Islam) , Alhaji Ibrahim Danmaigoro, Alhaji Hassan Gegele and Alhaji Gani Galadima..
The late Alhaji Sa’ad Bamidele Aluko’s eldest son, Hon Salihu Bamidele Aluko, a former member of Kwara State house of assembly and a one-time member of the board of the National Broadcasting Commission, NBC, has also shared his favorite memories of his late father.
‘Alhaji Sa’ad Bamidele Aluko was a teacher and as a teacher he laid emphasis on discipline, integrity and intelligence. As a teacher, it starts from home, you know that a teacher must be disciplined and must be very neat and remain committed to planned goals. We weren’t taught to cheat, lie or disrespect people, and as the eldest child, I followed him to all the schools that he helped to establish, we weren’t brought up like children of nowadays, there was discipline in our time. We thank God that what he taught us then are useful to us today, not only that, he was also an Islamic scholar that believed in Almighty Allah. He was a Tijaniyah member, he was the pioneer secretary of Jamatul Islamiyah in Ilorin.
He taught us to be religious, he was also a community leader, there is no where that you will mention Bamidele Aluko in the whole of Kwara State that you won’t see someone that knew him. He enjoyed assisting people, if he does not have the needed money to solve your problem, he will talk to people about it so that the problem will be solved totally.
Alhaji Sa’ad Bamidele Aluko was the only child of his parents and he died at a very young age, he had a dream as the only child of the family to expand the family, so after his death I reasoned that the only way we can appreciate him is to make the name Bamidele Aluko big so that all his children and grandchildren will know about his great deeds, and his name is our surname till date both the children and grandchildren, and we are trying to ensure that the name remains good and I know that where he is today, he must be very glad that his name is living after him’, he said.
