By Junaidu Danladi
I am not good in writing tributes because I only wrote one after the tragic death of my parent in 2020. But I just take a lift from my boss, Dr. Kabiru Haruna Isa who has written some tributes to high-profiled academics and Islamic scholars.
Dr. Lawan Abdu’Allah Isa popularly addressed as Dr. Lawan A. Isa was a true ‘BUK scholar’ as he had his Bachelor degree (1981), Masters (1996) and PhD (2010) from Bayero University Kano (BUK).
Dr. Lawan worked with Federal College of Education Katsina for over two decades before he joined the services of Bayero University Kano 2010. In BUK, he served in various capacities as tutor, Departmental Examination Officer, Level Coordinator and finally Head of Department (History).
My first encounter with Dr. Lawan was in April 2012, after my employment as Graduate Assistant together with four other colleagues. I did not know him when I was undergraduate, because he joined the Department in November, 2010, few months after our graduation.
As new members of the Department, we used to assist him as Examination Officer and later as Level Coordinator. I became more closer to him 2021, when he was appointed as the Head of Department. I was also appointed as Departmental Examination Officer the same year, the position that made me to work closely under him. In fact, some members of the Department, fondly calked me ‘Deputy HOD”, perhaps in recognition of my working relationship with him which only lasted after the end of his tenure in early March, 2024. My last meeting with him, I think his last visit to the Department was on Wednesday 13th March, 2024. I met him with the new HOD, Dr. Muhammad Wada discussing various issues , which lasted more than an hour.
It was around 7:20pm on Sunday 17th March, 2024, that I heard the tragic death of Dr. Lawan, when a senior colleague, Dr. Ibrahim Sani Kankara informed me.
The colleagues, students, relatives and above all members of Dr. Lawan’s family have thousands of good stories to tell on him.
For me, I knew him as a teacher, father and leader; not in any way as colleague, although we worked together. Most of the young members of the Department, we used to address him as Babanmu (our father), the revered title that he earned due to age and good relations with us. He used to relate with us like his mates, sharing with us his years of experience.
After I worked closely with him for over a decade, I can say that Dr. Lawan was a very good person, highly religious, jolly, disciplinarian and simple (although many students used to fear him).
We used to relate him him freely. I can still recall what he told as a way of consoling me after the death of my beloved father in August 2020. He said to me now you joined our club of orphans. I replied by saying yes sir, but for me my mother was alive, before her sudden death few months later.
Dr. Lawan until death, was an associate professor, waiting for formal promotion as professor.
Dr. Lawan will forever be remembered for modest contributions to the Department, BUK and wider public in various aspects. He was great disciplinarian that many students both undergraduates and graduates used to fear him. I know as Examination Officer, I used to send some errant students to him for elderly discipline!
May the soul of Dr. Lawan rest in Aljannatul Firdaus and console us with the fortitude to bear this great loss. May Almighty Allah take care of his family especially his children.
