By Dr. Wahab Shittu, SAN
A terse text message from eminent silk Rafiu Lawal-Rabana, SAN—”We lost one of our SANs from Offa, Prof. Rasheed Ijaodola, SAN, today.”—jolted me into consciousness immediately after I woke up this morning. I felt, and still feel, devastated and shocked beyond belief.
Here was a man who bestrode our legal landscape like the colossus that he was and impacted our jurisprudence beyond the contributions of many of his peers.
On a personal level, he influenced my career and always encouraged me to excel. First, as National President of the Offa Students’ Union, he was a role model who achieved phenomenal success. He raised the bar of student unionism in Offa so high that many took notice. His activities inspired me to aspire to the presidency of the Offa Students’ Union. His academic record as an “A-Level” student at Kwara Tech, Ilorin, was stellar. He was the first to offer four A-Level courses at the college, with outstanding results. Encouraged by his feat, I also attempted four A-Level papers. He later graduated from the Faculty of Law, University of Lagos—again, my alma mater.
The departed was a man of excellence, with an uncommon passion for education and the dissemination of ideas. Many Offa indigenes benefited from the summer school program initiated during his tenure as OSU President. A one-man riot squad, he consistently raised his voice against injustice and oppression. His famed public statements and press releases as OSU National President in Offa heightened public consciousness and challenged the status quo. He was unafraid to take on powerful vested interests and stood as a lion against those he perceived as oppressors.
Vintage Rasheed Ijaodola was everywhere during his student days, and as a lawyer, he remained bold and fearless. He was a courageous man.
Prof. Rasheed Ijaodola, SAN, mentored many students as a lecturer in the Faculty of Law, University of Ilorin. Many lawyers who passed through his tutelage will always extol his virtues. Numerous students testified to his exceptional teaching abilities, often referring to him as “the best lecturer in the Faculty.” The departed indeed touched lives and impacted generations of students.
When he felt his efforts were not sufficiently recognized at the University of Ilorin, he moved his services to Igbinedion University, Okada, in Edo State. There, he transformed the Faculty of Law and served as its Dean for about 14 years. He became an institutional figure at the university, leaving behind an unprecedented record of achievements.
A man of high excellence, the departed earned about four PhD degrees, including one in Christian Studies, even though he remained a Muslim until his death. He was eventually promoted to the professorial cadre and subsequently elevated to the prestigious rank of Senior Advocate of Nigeria.
A devoted family man, he raised highly successful children. About three of his children graduated with First-Class Honours degrees from the university and the Nigerian Law School. One of them, Dr. Lawal Ijaodola, holds a PhD in Law, having attained First-Class Honours at both the university and the Law School. Dr. Lawal Ijaodola currently practices at G. O. Elias & Co.’s UK office, where he has been making remarkable achievements as an attorney of high distinction.
In one of my last discussions with Prof. Ijaodola, SAN, he spoke glowingly of his son, Dr. Lawal Ijaodola. He told me how his son had taken full responsibility for his medical bills and, like all his other children, took special care of him. Dr. Lawal Ijaodola is a model son, and his father was immensely proud of him.
Prof. Ijaodola was an extraordinary scholar, mentor, and motivator.
Popularly known as “Osiapabiekun,” he was deeply proud of his Offa roots and Ajase-Ipo ancestry. He prided himself on being a warrior—both in the courtroom and beyond.
The departed was also a kindhearted and generous man.
I recall my last conversation with him. He told me that he had always refused to belong to any cult group. He reminded me that the current Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila, and former Minister of Education, Prof. Mamman Tahir, were some of his classmates. He encouraged us to continue supporting the activities of the Offa Students’ Union.
He also revealed some of his plans. He intended to establish a sprawling law chambers in Offa and had already begun its construction. He sought my assistance in facilitating building approvals for the project. At his request, I introduced him to an engineer from Offa, Muideen, to help actualize his dream. He told me that Engineer Muideen would find fulfillment working with him, provided he remained honest and trustworthy. Such was his love for integrity and core values.
The departed always spoke his mind and never held grudges.
It is shocking that we have lost such a brilliant mind, a remarkable scholar, and a legal luminary. He was an encyclopedia of knowledge.
His passing this morning is a profound personal loss to me. He encouraged me to pursue a PhD. At one point, he invited me as a guest speaker for the final-year graduating students of Igbinedion University, Okada. That visit marked my first trip to the historic town of Okada. He shared his personal thoughts with me, showed me love and affection, and influenced my academic and professional career—just as he did for many across ethnic and regional divides throughout Nigeria.
He was a giant.
He was a philosopher-king.
He was a warrior.
He was a good man.
He was controversial—because he was a great man.
As a renowned American psychologist once said:
“History does not record the achievements of any great man of vision and dynamism without some comments of controversy.”
That psychologist may well have had the late Prof. Rasheed Jimoh Lawal Ijaodola, SAN, in mind when he wrote those immortal words.
With his passing this morning, I have lost a great brother, an exceptional motivator, a giant of jurisprudence, and a true human being.
May Almighty Allah bless and reward his soul with Aljannah Firdaus.
Ameen.
Adieu, my philosopher-king.
Dr. Wahab Shittu, SAN
