Reconnecting with a Mentor: A Peek into Prof. Isa Muhammad Maishanu’s Legacy
My inquisitiveness and excessive love for seeking knowledge are extremely high and exceptional to the extent that I can spend my last kobo solely on acquiring new knowledge. A friend of mine jokingly called me an “Epistemophiliac,” which simply means someone who has a love for knowledge and is always ready to learn new things.
I once traveled to the University of Benin, Edo State, to attend a Faculty of Education Conference while serving in Anambra State in 2019. I have visited many universities and other tertiary institutions in Nigeria, not for any reason other than the quest for knowledge and learning new things. Only God knows how many conferences, seminars, workshops, inaugural lectures, and other academic programs I have attended in my life. One day, by God’s grace, I will share my academic experiences, detailing how they have shaped and transformed my journey, in case you are curious to ask me.
I am also the type of person who celebrates other people’s success, achievements, and milestones, no matter how small they are. With commitment, determination, and fervent prayers, I believe my own success will come one day, as long as I do not relent.
On January 6, 2025, I had the privilege of attending the 14th Convocation and 20th Anniversary of the first faith-based private university in Nigeria, Al-Hikmah University, Ilorin, Kwara State. I had two reasons for gracing the event. First, I was personally invited by friends and mentors who were graduating from the prestigious institution. Second, the theme of the convocation, to be delivered by the guest lecturer, His Excellency, the Executive Governor of Borno State, Professor Babagana Umara Zulum, CON, FNSE, mni, piqued my interest. The theme was “Two Decades of Excellence: Al-Hikmah University’s Impact on Scholarship and Educational Development in Nigeria.” Professor Zulum, indeed an erudite scholar, did justice to the theme.
Upon my arrival at the school premises (Atere campus) in Ilorin, I first sat under the canopy tents, watching the event on the television screen. A friend, who was also graduating, informed me that the security officers would not allow me into the Law Moot Court Hall, where the convocation was taking place. He cited two reasons: I had arrived late, and I was neither a student of the school nor an official guest. However, I assured him I would gain access with my media outlet I.D. card (Trove Online Media). At first, I was denied entry, but I was eventually allowed in after showing my I.D. card.
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On getting into the convocation hall, the first person my eyes landed on was the erudite scholar, Professor Isa Muhammad Maishanu. However, I was confused about whether he was the one or not. To confirm, I quickly called my friend and scholar, Abdulrahman Akanbi, a recent first-class student and overall best graduating student at Usmanu Danfodiyo University, Sokoto (UDUS). He, too, was uncertain and asked me to snap a picture and send it to him. Abdulrahman knew Professor Isa well, as the professor had been his project supervisor during his final year.
I majestically approached the professor, introduced myself as an alumnus of UDUS who graduated in 2017, and asked if he remembered me. “Masha Allah! Nice meeting you again after eight years,” said Professor Isa.
Professor Isa Muhammad Maishanu is a distinguished academic scholar par excellence. He specializes in Comparative Religion, Qur’anic Studies, and related fields. He was the former Dean of the Faculty of Arts and Islamic Studies and the pioneer Dean of the Faculty of Arabic and Islamic Studies at Usmanu Danfodiyo University, Sokoto (UDUS). He is also one of the imams at the University Central Mosque (popularly known as Torabora Mosque). The professor is widely known for his brilliance, uniqueness, and eloquence during lectures and Friday sermons. Remarkably, he is the only imam I know with the ability to communicate fluently in three languages—Arabic, Hausa, and English.
Currently, he serves as the Commissioner for Tertiary Education in Sokoto State and is a member of the Sokoto State Muslims Council. Professor Isa is a respected teacher, mallam, and sheikh with many good qualities and attributes that make him a great scholar.
Professor Isa’s respect and trustworthiness are evident, as the Executive Governor of Sokoto State, His Excellency Ahmad Aliyu Sokoto, deemed him worthy to represent him as one of the special guests at the convocation ceremony. What a great honor for the professor!
A senior friend from the Islamic Studies Department at UDUS had once told me, while I was in my 300-level, about Professor Isa’s brilliance and intellectual capacity. It was not until my final year, when he taught ISL407 “Advanced Creed of Ahl-Sunnah,” that I truly experienced his academic excellence. Professor Isa is not just a lecturer but a professional teacher whose methods make his classes engaging, fascinating, and inspiring.
It was a great pleasure to meet our erudite academic scholar again after eight years since I graduated from Usmanu Danfodiyo University, Sokoto. I pray to Almighty Allah to grant our dear professor sound health, increase his knowledge and wisdom, and grant him a long life so society can continue benefiting from his immense contributions. Ameen.
Idris Abdulganiy, a PRNigeria Fellow, wrote in from Ilorin, Kwara State.
