A Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), Dr. Aliyu Alarape Salman, has described the former Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Justice S. M. A. Belgore, as an epitome of good leadership and a living proof that the country has the capacity to produce good leaders who are worthy of emulation.

Dr. Salman made this submission at the University of Ilorin Auditorium last Monday (March 31, 2014) while delivering a keynote lecture at the Second Youth Leadership Summit and Journal Launching organised by the University Students Union in honour of the erudite jurist. 

Speaking on the topic, “I am young, I am the future”, the senior lawyer said, “Presently today, the world is going astray and is in disarray, especially our dear country, Nigeria. But there are still some exemplary individuals, who are worth imitating; they serve as stimulants towards good leadership. Undisputably, Justice Alpha Belgore is one”.                                                                                                                                            

The SAN noted that the growth of any community rested on the young people, who he described as “those vigorous and creative individuals possessing that awe of wonder and enthusiasm.” He opined that the youth are “not just the future but our hope to reinvigorate the world, to correct the blunders of the past generations.

The Guest Speaker added that it is extremely pertinent for every conscious individual, especially parents and schools, to set up varieties of proficient means of veritable guidance and orientation for the youth. He also noted that the strength of the youths' participation in the development of the nation depends upon how well they are encouraged, mentored, guided and supported.

  In his remarks, the Chairman of the occasion, who is also a former Vice-Chancellor of the University of Ilorin and Chairman, Federal Character Commission, Prof. Shuaib Oba AbdulRaheem, described Justice Belgore as a man “who has lived a worthy live”.

Prof. AbdulRaheem also described the retired jurist as an institution and an intellectual.

The former Vice-Chancellor commended the University of Ilorin for remaining true to its name, adding that the University is blessed with disciplined students and a dedicated work force. He then praised the incumbent Vice-Chancellor, Prof. AbdulGaniyu Ambali, for efficiently piloting the affairs of the University.

   Also honoured at the Students Union Leadership Summit were the Kwara State Governor, Dr. AbdulFatah Ahmed and a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Mallam Yusuf Olaolu Ali.

   The governor, who was represented by his Special Assistant on Tertiary Education, Dr. S. O. Ajayi, restated his commitment to assisting the University of Ilorin, his alma mater.

In his own response, Mallam Yusuf Ali, said that he would forever cherish the award because it was done in honour of Justice Belgore.

The senior lawyer decried the incessant strike actions by university lecturers in the country and called on the students to resist being locked out of  school.

In his address, the Vice-Chancellor of the University of Ilorin, Prof. AbdulGaniyu Ambali, said that students of the University are exemplary in learning and character unlike what obtains in some other institutions of learning in the country.

  Prof. Ambali said, “Part of the vision of the University has manifested in the programme of today. It is no coincidence that while students of other institutions may be engaged in disruptive behaviour as we often read in the media, the students of the University of Ilorin have always been exemplary in radiating the beauty of “character and learning”, which is the motto of the University.”

The Vice-Chancellor pointed out that “if the University prides itself as the most stable University in the country for more than a decade now, it is as a result of the cooperation of all its stakeholders particularly the students.”

Speaking on the honouree, Prof. Ambali described the former Chief Justice of Nigeria as highly reputable for his courage, intelligence, fairness and defence of justice. He then admonished the students that beyond honouring Belgore with the journal, they should continue to derive inspiration from his exemplary lifestyle and character.

 In his welcome address, the Dean, Student Affairs, Prof. O. A. Omotesho, submitted that the launch of the Journal, The Erudite, is a further testimony to the intellectual maturity of the Unilorin Students Union, noting that the message the occasion passes across is that the students are forthright to recognise excellence and promote scholarship.

Prof. Omotesho said, “It is an indication of the enviable heights our students have attained. From the empty sloganeering of “Aluta” of the years past, our cherished students now prefer to sing “Aloha”, thereby magnetising development to the University”.

  The Students Union President, Comrade Lawal Ahmed Abiodun, in his address, said that the Summit was organised to prepare the youth for leadership positions in the future. He added that the Journal creates an opportunity for students to improve the fast dying art of writing among the younger generation, disclosing that about 70 percent of the articles in the Journal were written by students of the University.

A highpoint of the occasion was the launching of the second edition of The Erudite, an annual Journal on Leadership and Development, published by the Students Union in honour of Justice Belgore.

Among dignitaries who attended the occasion were the Balogun Fulani of Ilorin, Alhaji Mohammed Atiku Durosinlorun, who represented the Emir of Ilorin; the Grand Khadi of Kwara State, Justice A. B. Mohammed; the founder of Al-Hikmah University, Alhaji AbdulRaheem Oladimeji and the University's Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Sulyman Age Abdulkareem.