DEATH OF A COLOSSUS: In Lengthy Facebook Post, Professor Khalifa Dikwa Mourns Late Tijjani Bolori
Professor Khalifa Dikwa, the Shettima Ilmubé of Dikwa, and erudite scholar had taken to his social media handle to render an emotional requiem mourning the death, on Sunday, of one of Borno’s most respected money bag and philanthropist, Alhaji Tijjani Bolori.
Professor, who is known for his dual oral and penned oratory, eulogised in tears the virtues of late Tijjani Bolori, which he depicted as the “death of colossus”
Professor Dikwa said “Borno and Yobé States Mourn the demise of Alhaji Tijjani Bolori, who was buried today sunday 5/12/2021.
“He was one the most apolitical great, reliable, large hearted elders & businessman with many unparalleled legacies of an executioner- terminator of verily needed projects like schools with qur’anic & islamic studies, re-islamising knowledge particularly at the Imam Malik Centre, Maiduguri, intervention at Imam Ibn Furtuwa, Monguno among others whose secondary school graduates passed JAMB and NECO with flying colours to get admission into the University of Maiduguri in medicine, engineering, accountancy, law, linguistics etc.
He Single ‘Pocketly’ spearheaded the building of hospital with affordable healthcare services, eg Sunni Hospital Maiduguri and countless masjids across the north.
Though younger than him, we related very well like an age mates, cracking jokes & argued serious issues affecting the Ummah with a zeal to downplay intolerance among other organisational groups Tijjaniyya, Qadriyya, Izâla, some of which elevate their groups to the level of Islam that promoted tolerance vis à vis pagans, jews, tribes and others in Madina, that had many dissimilarities with intolerant version that was smuggled into the original islam merely 50 years ie the 1970s by western intelligence and promoted by some arab and Muslim leaders on harassment ( please read my article titled Minor Différences) to create disunity among Muslims & exclusionist template to either belong or be rejected despite sharing all the basic tenets of Islam as if it was not enough to be muslim without belonging to any sect or to one of the organisational groups, progressives versus conservatives, thereby taking the fact that Islam is dynamic with the Qur’ân ans Hadeeth talking about yesterday, today and tomorrow, by making it look like a multi party system with no space for the ease or median position that islam teaches, thereby magnifying minor issues much more than the basic pillars via the various approaches of the 4 schools of thought to confuse those with limited knowledge, taking side with one’s scholars to the point of condemning the other sides, to the enmity level.
Back to our tribute to Tijjani Bolori as our quasi-irreplaceable huge loss in terms of humility and large heartedness and to the best of the deceased emulation of the times of Prophet Muhammad ( saw) and companions who taught Islam as a universal religion, that unlike previous ones where socio-economic status, wealth, ethnoracial backgrounds mattered.
Therefore, as in my childhood characteristics & training of having been younger than my friends that equipped me with far reaching experiences & palace backed professorial cum academic title of the only emeritus double Shehu/Shettima Malummabé & Shehu/ Shettima Ilmubé of Dikwa Emirate under his Royal Highness Shehu Ibrahim Umar Elkanemi, he ( Alhaji Tijjani) too made sure we brainstormed on how best we made Borno better before our exit from this world, as we related with each other very well along with his friends like late Sheikh Abba Aji who was one of the greatest scholars & teachers of all times; others included former Permsec, Dikwa sole administrator during the President Ibrahim B. Babangida years, INEC commissioner Alh Baba Abba Yusufwhose short tenure saw to the clearing of an access road and sinking of a well under DFFRI in my native village close to Gajibo town of Dikwa LGA which is 80 km along Maiduguri-Mafa-Dikwa-Ngala trunk A federal road to the north- eastern border, Alhaji Modu Kumshé, and others who are still with us like Alh Bura Damboa,Alh Ali Ahmed etc as we related very well with his constant visits to my office at the University Of Maiduguri to discuss proposals earlier submitted to him to sponsor, provided such projects were people’s oriented without asking for detailed explanation in his capacity of terminator with the caveat not to announce his contribution.
Alhaji Tijjani Bolori was the utter definition of generosity, selflessness as he kept reminding others with stiff hands that givers never lacked. We shall, for long, be missing Alh Tijjani Bolori the business and philanthropic colossus of Borno and Yobé states. Allah Shiya Gawurz3. Prof Khalifa Ali Dikwa.
