The doyen of law in Kwara State and the first to bag the Senior Advocate of Nigeria badge, Alhaji Dr. Aliyu Alarape Salman, SAN is dead. He was aged 81 years.
Announcing the passing of the senior lawyer, a former Chairman of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Ilorin Branch, Dr. Mobolaji Ojibara wrote: “The Doyen of Senior Advocates in Kwara State, Dr. Aliyu Alarape Salman, SAN (Salman Salman’s dad) died peacefully in his sleep this morning.
“The janazah (burial) takes place today at his residence, No 53 Aderemi Adeleye Street, GRA. Ilorin, by 4 pm.
“May Allah be please with him, and grant him Aljannat firdaus.”
Salman attended the popular Barewa College and the Ahmadu Bello University (ABU), Zaria. He was called to the Nigerian Bar in Lagos in 1968.
He was the first northerner to head the African Petroleum (AP). In 1976, he was appointed the attorney-general and commissioner of justice in Kwara State, where he worked till 1978 and resigned to establish his law firm known as SARRA Chambers. He worked in his chambers till his death.
Speaking in an earlier interview, Salman recalled: “I attended the Aladabiyyah Muslim School, which is now known as the Ansar l-Islam Primary School, up to Standard Two and later went to Baptist Day Primary School, Minna. I completed my elementary education at the Bababoko Primary School in Ilorin. I attended the prestigious Barewa College, Zaria and got the school certificate in 1959, after which I went to Ahmadu Bello University. I was one of the few students who did preliminary education in one year instead of two years.
“I graduated from the ABU in 1967 and proceeded to the Nigerian Law School in Lagos, where I qualified as a lawyer in 1968.
“My contemporaries in the Bar are Justice Issa Ayo Salami and Justice Adegbite, who was also a judge in Kwara State. We were called to the Bar in 1968 with the present Emir of Ilorin.
“I started work in the Ministry of Justice in Sokoto. I was a deputy solicitor-general. In 1976, I was appointed the attorney-general and commissioner for justice in Kwara State. I worked in that capacity till 1978 when I resigned because I disagreed with the then-governor of the state, George Ini, who was a military man. After my resignation, I started my chambers, which I named SARAA Chambers. SARAA represents the first letters of the names of my five children – Salman, Aisha, Rahmat, Amina and Alli.
“I became a Senior Advocate of Nigeria on February 27, 1987, during the military regime of Muhammadu Buhari. I was the first person to become a SAN in Kwara State. That’s why they call me the doyen of SAN.
“Luckily, two of my children, Salman Salman and Aminat Lukman Lawal are also lawyers.
“I am the third child of my father’s 10 children. I have two elder brothers who attended universities in Cairo and are married to Arab women.
“I have only one wife and I am not interested in partisan politics. I am also a member of the Body of Benchers; they are the people who encourage people to become lawyers. When Olanipekun, who was the chairman of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) in Kwara State recommended me, I was happy. And I was given a life membership from day one. Justice Kawu, who was a chief judge in Kwara State but retired as a judge in the Supreme Court, said my father’s prayers were answered through me. That’s why they gave me life membership of the Body of Benchers. This is because, after some time, even Supreme Court judges seize to be members of the body”
Kwara State Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq while sympathising with the family and Kwarans described the death of Alhaji Aliyu Alarape Salman as the end of a great era, saying was the exit of a great man who made huge contributions to the community and the state.
A statement by the Chief Press Secretary, Rafiu Ajakaye, said the Governor sent his heartfelt condolences to the family and friends of the late sage who was a one-time Commissioner for Justice and Attorney General of Kwara State, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), and a respected leader of the Ilorin community.
“The Governor commiserates with the Emir of Ilorin Dr. Ibrahim Sulu-Gambari, the Ilorin Emirate Descendants Progressive Union (IEDPU), and the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) on the sad development, recalling the meritorious service of the late sage to Ilorin, the state as a whole, and to the law profession.
“He asks Allaah to forgive and admit the former IEDPU President to al-Jannah Firdaus and preserve all his heirs and the community on the path of goodness and righteousness” The statement read.
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