by Mubarak Oladosu
This blessed day, Friday, April 11,2025, shall witness history, as the turbaning of one of the most distinguished Nigerians of this contemporary, Prof. Yusuf Olaolu Ali, SAN, an Ifetedo, Osun State born icon , as Kuliya n Geri of Ilorin, holds.The events shall unfold at the venerated grounds of the palace of the Emir of Ilorin.
For the royal drums of Ilorin to sound and resound in acknowledgement of a man, and for the voices of the people of the Emirate to chorus in echo of agreement, over the choice made by the Emir, Dr. Ibrahim Sulu-Gambari, in appointing his Kuliya n Geri, the first in that class of Ilorin’s title holders, such a man must have contributed what no one else has ever done, for the Emir to see in him, what others do not see, such that the royal mind is prompted to institute the Kuliya title.
Prof. Ali first made a name for himself as a luminary in law practice who has made huge contributions to the Nigerian Legal System. Today, merely describing the man of the moment as “an elite lawyer on top of his game ” as I did almost two decades ago, would amount to an understatement. For Mallam, Prof Yusuf Olaolu Ali has become much more than that.
Truly, since his call to the Nigerian Bar in 1983, Yusuf Ali has traversed and bestrode the the Nigerian legal landscape for over four decades, with grace, brilliance and ingenuity, but Yusuf Olaolu Ali is now a brand known for being a success in education, in business and in social investment- he is an uncommon philantropist.
Speaking with him in his chambers some 19 years ago, Prof. Yusuf Ali elucidated the rigorous process of becoming a Senior Advocate in the Nigerian Bar, and it is never a mean feat, for you must have proven your mettle as a lawyer all the way to the Supreme Court, to wear the silk.
Today, the territories of Ali’s intellectual conquest are far beyond his sparkles in legal practice. Around the period of the establishment of his Ghalib Chambers in Ilorin, (which continues to hone and sharpen many young legal minds and propel them into distinctionin ) in 1994, Prof. Ali was a regular voice in the media, especially on NTA Ilorin where he regularly offerered free legal opinions and analysis.
According to the former Public Relations Officer Officer and current Secretary General of the Ilorin Emirate Descendants Progressive Union, Mallam Abubakar Imam, such Pro bono services are also extended by the honouree to the Ilorin Emirate’s palace.
Also, for several years, Mallam Yusuf Olaolu Ali has been an Associate Lecturer at the Faculty of Law of the University of Ilorin and he has also offered similar services to the Kwara State University, Malete and other Nigerian Universities. Prof. Yusuf Olaolu Ali was also a Visiting Fellow at the King’s College, University of London, United Kingdom. Little wonder that Ali was appointed Professor of Law Practice by the Federal University, Oye-Ekiti in 2023 , in a rare acknowledgement of such academic contributions.
Yusuf Olaolu Ali is also very much a part and percel of University management in Nigeria having served as a member of the Board of Trustees of Al-Hikmah University, Ilorin and Summit University, Offa, apart from being the Pro Chancellor and Chairman of the Governing Council of Osun State University . He was also appointed Chairman of the Board of Trustees of Fountain University, Osogbo.
Prof Olaolu Ali’s donation of an Advanced Trauma Centre to the University of Ilorin Teaching Hospital; hostels to indigent students at the University of Ilorin and Osun State University, Osogbo; an ICT Centre to the Faculty of Law, Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife; and the Kwara State Polytechnic,Ilorin; the College of Law Building to Crescent University, Abeokuta; and his donation of vehicles to the Department of Arabic and Islamic Studies, University of Ibadan; and the Department of Religions, University of Ilorin, all highlight him not only as a generous Nigerian, but as a committed educationist and health care “insurer” who does not only award scholarships to students of tertiary institutions within and outside the country ,but a father figure who pays medical bills on behalf of indigent patients. Prof Ali’s hands have indeed touched countless lives and and given hope to the hopeless in the nooks and crannies of Ilorin, and beyond.
For about a decade now, the Association of Nigerian Authors too has benefited from the Kuliya’s generous annual donation through which he encourages young writers. In a similar vein, Prof Yusuf Olaolu Ali’s abode has evolved into a centre where events regularly hold in honour of several residents of Ilorin from across different walks of life to whom he plays host for winning his heart by breaking new barriers, by conquering new heights and by shattering new glass ceilings. Yet, these gestures are only a fraction of Ali’s generous gestures.
The turbaning of Yusuf Ali as Kuliya of Ilorin is therefore a coronation of character, as the title finds a worthy bearer in Prof Ali, the sage—a man who continues to give and serve out of altruism and a heart of abundance.
It is therefore gratifying that it is the turn of the first Kuliya n Geri of Ilorin to be celebrated, congratulated and hosted by well-wishers like he has done to countless people. it is a payback he deserves being the uncommon giver he has been for ages.
Mubarak Oladosu wrote from Ilorin.
