By Abubakar Imam
Today, Friday, August 15, 2025 marks the retirement of an uncommon patriot, Barrister Isiaka Adisa Yusuf, from paid services of the Federal Government of Nigeria. This follows his attainment of the mandatory retirement age of 60.
Barrister Yusuf, a chip of the old block, is graciously bowing out of service as a Director in the federal public service. He hails from Pakata in the Ubandawaki Ward of Ilorin West Local Government Area of Kwara State.
I first knew him in the early 1980s as a footballer. I used to watch him play the round-leather game along with his contemporaries from within and beyond Pakata on the soccer pitch of my alma mater, Barakat Community Secondary School, Ilorin. He was then known as Zico, an alias he was given by his mates because of his style of play, which was found to be similar to that of one of the most outstanding Brazilian footballers, Zico.
While I remain excited with his extraordinary humility, I have never been surprised with his profound patriotism. He obviously inherited the trait from his late father, Alhaji Abdulkadir Adebimpe Yusuf.
His late father had three “addresses” throughout his life.These are the Ansarul Islam Society of Nigeria, Ilorin Emirate Descendants Progressive Union (IEDPU) and Pakata Area Development Association (PADA). He left imperishable footprints in each of the three bodies. He held the positions of General Secretary, National Financial Secretary/National Treasurer and President in the three organisations, respectively, at various and he was known as a man exceptional integrity. I must quickly add that the late Alhaji Yusuf, according to my late father, Mallam Jimoh Imam Pakata, was the brain behind the location of the IEDPU’s erstwhile national secretariat at Pakata.
This retiring gentleman was born on August 15, 1965 in the commercial city of Kano. His mother, Hajia Alimat Abike Yusuf, hails from Ile Agaka, which overlooks the popular Pakata Roundabout in Ilorin.
Barrister Yusuf started his education at the popular Oniwapele Islamiyyah (Makaranta Alo) along Kamaldeen Street in Pakata area of Ilorin from where he was enrolled at the famous Ansarul Islam Primary School, Okekere, Ilorin. He eventually completed his primary education at Adeta LSB School in 1975.
Having successfully passed his Primary School Leaving Certificate, he proceeded to the prestigious Government Secondary School (GSS), Ilorin. He obtained his West African Examination Certificate (WASC) from the school, which is also his late father’s alma mater, in 1980.
His quest for higher education took him to the then Kwara State College of Technology (now Kwara State Polytechnic), Ilorin, for his Higher School Certificate(HSC). He graduated from the institution in 1982.
Having passed his Cambridge Higher School Certificate Examinations, Barrister Yusuf was admitted into University of Ilorin. From University of Ilorin, he earned his Bachelor and Master’s degrees in History and Public Administration, respectively, in 1987 and 1992.
His quest to achieve his boyhood ambition led him back to the “Better by Far” University, the University of Ilorin, for his LL.B., which he earned in 2005. He crowned this with his attendance of the Nigerian Law School for his BL. He was subsequently called to the Nigerian Bar in 2006.
Barrister Yusuf started his working career as a teacher. He taught for a number of years at Government Day Secondary School, Pakata, Ilorin. He was subsequently redeployed to the Kwara State Ministry of Information and Culture and was posted to the Ministry of Works as its Public Relations Officer.
In 2005, Barrister Yusuf joined the federal civil service as the Press Secretary to the Secretary of National Agency for Poverty Eradication Programme (NAPEP). He later changed to the procurement cadre and became an Assistant Chief Procurement Officer in the federal civil service.
He rose through the procurement cadre while serving in various ministries such as Federal Ministry of Energy, Federal Ministry of Power, Federal Ministry of Youth, Federal Ministry of Science and Technology, Federal Ministry of Agriculture and National Agency for the great Green Wall (NAGGW).
He also served at Federal Ministry of Health, Federal Ministry of Mines and Steel Development as well as Hydrocarbon Pollution Remediation Project (HYPREP)- Port Harcourt.
As a diligent public servant, Barrister Yusuf eventually attained the position of Director. He was consequently deployed to the Federal Ministry of Livestock Development where he served as its Director of Procurement before his glorious retirement.
Outside the civil service, Barrister Yusuf held several sensitive positions such as Chairman, Youth Sports Federation of Nigeria (YSFON), Ilorin West Local Government Area from 1997 to 2005; Secretary, Award & Dinner Committee, Kwara Sports Writers Association of Nigeria, (SWAN) from 1997 to 1998. He was a Board Member of the Kwara United Football Club from 1989 to 1999.
He also served as Chairman, AGM Planning Committee of Nigerian Institute of Public Relations (NIPR), Kwara State Chapter in 2001;
He was the Secretary NIPR, Kwara Chapter from 2002 to 2005.
Just as his late father, Barrister Yusuf also served IEDPU with absolute dedication and passion for many years even as a public servant. He served as National Publicity Secretary of the Union from 2002 to 2005. He was also a
Member of the Governing Council of Ilorin Comprehensive High School, Ilorin, from 2006 to 2007. He is equally a member of the Pakata Area Development Association and “Pakata Patriots”, Ilorin.
While in service, Barrister Yusuf attended several workshops and seminars both at home and abroad among which are:- Information Technology and Globalization organised by NIPR, 2001; Workshop on Corporate Governance and Public Relations- NIPR, 2005; Enterprise Promotion,
Empowerment and Sustainable Human Development in Rural Africa, Isreal, 2007; Basic Procurement Course organised by the Bureau of Public Procurement in 2008;
Managing Supplier Performance Next Level Purchasing in 2009;
Organizational Change and Development ASCON, Nigeria in 2011; Targeting and Performance Management Workshop at CMD in 2012;Public Procurement Value Chain, Kaduna, in 2019. He also attended an Executive MBA Certificate in Advance Fraud and Forensic Auditing programme in Dubai, United Arab Emirates in 2020 and the Leadership Best Practices in London, United Kingdom in 2023.
Barrister Yusuf is a member of several professional bodies such as the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Nigerian Institute of Public Relations (NIPR), the Sport Writers Association of Nigeria(SWAN), the Chartered Institute of Arbitration (MCIRS). He is also a Fellow of the Association of Public Procurement Practitioners of Nigeria (APPON), among others.
Despite not being a politician, this outstanding son of Ilorin facilitated quite a lot of projects to the Ilorin Emirate. Records show that Barrister Yusuf facilitated grant to Ilorin Microfinance Bank Limited for empowerment of small holder business. He also facilitated the sinking of several boreholes across the Ilorin West Local Government Area. It is also remarkable to recall that he also facilitated the water harvesting structure located in Oke Oyi, the headquarters of the Ilorin East Local Government Area and electric transformers to different communities in Asa Local Government Area, among several others.
Barrister Yusuf is a master at Chess Board. He is also a lover of Football and a wonderful stepper at classic music.
This remarkable patriot is happily married to the Deputy Chief Whip of the Kwara State House of Assembly, Honourable Maryam Yusuf Aladi and the marriage is blessed with three lovely children.
As Barrister Yusuf settles down for the life after retirement, I wish him sound health and happiness for him to continue to serve Allah and humanity as a functional member of the “Senior Citizens Association”.
Imam is National Secretary, Ilorin Emirate Descendants Progressive Union.
