ONE thing that is most certain in life is death. All other things could be avoided, but definitely not death. No matter your position, your  wealth or your strength, death will strike one day.

Six years after the demise of late General Abdulkarim Adisa (rtd) the good things he did or left behind have continued to linger on. The name of General Adisa can never be forgotten. Do we want to talk about his contributions to the propagation of Islam, his contributions to the education of indigent students, or his humanitarian services to the people of Ilorin Emirate, Kwara State and the entire nation?  Even those that did not agree with his principles or his political philosophies still recognise his contributions to his community. He was also an employer of labour.

Death struck on that fateful day, Friday, February 25, 2005 at a London hospital. On the previous Saturday, February 18, 2005, the people's General was involved in a ghastly motor accident, along Oke Onigbin-Edidi  Road . It is on record that on the day of the fatal accident, he was fasting. It was really a black day that would remain permanently fresh in the minds of those of us who knew him.

The 'who is who' in Nigeria, the government of the federation and the Kwara State government really battled hard to save the soul of late General Adisa, but all efforts could not save his life, as the Almighty Allah had destined that no man shall exceed a minute outside the time that He the Almighty Allah had alloted to such a man.

It is, however, my belief that General Adisa, popularly known as A.K did not die in vain, as he has children who live after him and those good things that he left behind.

It is a known fact that General Adisa built a portion of the Yidi (prayer ground), where ablution is being performed today by Muslim Umah in Ilorin . Similarly he built a mosque close to his GRA residence, where Juma'at prayers are being observed every Friday. These two achievements could be described as the best legacies to immortalise him. Late General Adisa established the Abdulkarim Adisa Foundation with three major departments- Medical, Welfare, and Religion. He also established Adisa Bakare Education Endowment Fund (ABEEF), in order to assist students in secondary and tertiary institutions financially, across the federation.

It is on record today that since 1999 ABEEF came into existence, over 10,000  students have benefited  from its scholarship/awards.

Final year students in the universities, polytechnics and colleges of education, as well as those sitting for their WASC examinations are beneficiaries of the Adisa Bakare Education Endowment Fund (ABEEF). Even the sick people at the hospitals, particularly at the University of Ilorin Teaching Hospital(UITH) and prison inmates or those awaited trial also  benefited from the humanitarian guesture of General Adisa, as he paid regular visits to these places during his lifetime.

General Adisa lived an exemplary life. He was a philanthropist par excellence and he dedicated all his life to the service of Allah and humanity. In fact, his philanthropic work still lives on, as his wife and children have continued through their own ways to sustain the good service of the people's hero.

Also, his military colleagues so much loved him, as most of them wept uncontrollably on hearing the news of his death.

People's love for late A.K transcends religion, as both Muslims and Christians  benefited from his humanitarian gestures.

In the political scene, it is certain that if General Adisa were to still be alive today, he would also have a say, even if not contesting for any elective position. Definitely, he would have been a major player in this 2011 general election. He was a courageous fighter and defender of the less-privileged in the society. No matter your position or status in the society, General Adisa never hesitated to express his views about you.

He did not even spare  any government, especially when such government was going astray, though, some people misunderstood him because of his frankness. Those who were closer to him while alive would conclude that General Adisa was a likeable character and a God-fearing human being.

As a one-time Minister of Works and Housing, the records of his achievements are there. And as a former governor of old Oyo State, A.K, as popularly called by his close friends, made commendable marks.

One other quality of General Adisa is his respect for time. While in public service, he never joked with time. He was always time conscious. He never looked down on anybody, not even his drivers or messagers and cleaners, though he was a disciplinarian.

For record purposes, General Abdulkarim Adisa (Rtd) was born into the family of Alhaji Bakare Adisa and Alhaja Akande Aro, at Aloba Compound, Oja Iya area, Oke Aluko, Ilorin, in Ilorin West Local Government Area of Kwara State, on  August 22, 1948.

He had his primary education in the then Western Region, and later went to the North to complete his education, and thereafter went into the military. General Adisa lived his life virtually in the military until he left in 1997.

After leaving the military, he ventured into private business and was based in Ilorin until his death. General Abdulkarim Adisa, may your gentle soul continue to rest in perfect peace and may the Almighty Allah reward you with Al-Janah Firdaous.

By Tunde Akanbi