Features

Dr. Oniyangi: A Great Medic and Patriot @ 84

 

By Abubakar Imam

The last day of July 2019, marks the 84th birthday of Dr. Abdulkadir Salman Oniyangi an unusual public servant, a foremost Physician and exemplary community leader, who, though, born with the proverbial silver spoon in his mouth, worked so hard to build a worthy reputation for himself and subsequently impressed his footprints on the sands of time.
I first knew Dr. Oniyangi in 1984.He was then serving as the Secretary to the Military Government of Kwara State, during which he sometimes led teams of officials of the Kwara State Government, saddled with the responsibility of supervising the sale of essential commodities to the ordinary people of the State.
As a young boy, then, I admired his relentlessness, as he tried to ensure that whoever was on the queue and conducted himself or herself well, did not go home without buying some of the commodities. The venue for most people of the south-western part of Ilorin, was the ancient Pakata Market, where my ancestral home is situated.
I later got to learn that he was my father’s old school-mate at the famous G.S.S. Ilorin. Later in life, my father began to patronise his Hassanat Memorial Hospital, along the popular Taiwo Road, Ilorin.
What particularly struck me about this remarkable personality, was his desire to serve and cater for his patients to the best of his ability, their socio-economic status, notwithstanding, as he demonstrated in his doctor-to-patient relationship with my father.
The first time my father suffered a debilitating health challenge, we had to rush him to his friend’s Hospital around 10p.m.Despite his age, and the fact that he had retired home that night, Dr. Oniyangi drove himself back to the Hospital when one of the nurses on duty called him that a patient of his was gasping for breath. He not only came to attend to my interests, he also refused to be paid for the services he rendered. That was, for me, an indication of genuine kindness.
Dr. A.S. Oniyangi, as he is widely known, was born to the family of the late Alhaji Salman Oniyangi, who, himself, was a distinguished merchant, a first-class philanthropist and an eminent community leader, on 31st July,1935, in Ilorin.
His father, the late Alhaji Salman Oniyangi, was the founding Manager of the famous Ansarul Islam Primary School, Okemale, Ilorin, in 1947 and also one of the few elites who supported the revolutionary efforts of the late first Mufti of Ilorin, Shaykh Muhammad Kamaldeen Al-Adaby (1905-2005) MFR, OFR, ORSA, when he was maligned by many for what they considered unacceptable innovations he brought into Arabic and Islamic education and subsequent integration of western and Islamic education, which he pioneered in the 1940s.
His celebrated grandfather, Alhaji Mahmud Oniyangi (d.1950), who was styled the Chief Merchant or “Oba Olowo” of Ilorin, by the 8th Emir of Ilorin and the maternal grandfather of the incumbent, Sheikh Abdulkadir Shuaib Dan-Bawa (CBE), who lived between 1887 and 1959,was not only an extremely benevolent man, but a great patriot, who was the rallying- figure behind the historic mobilisation of his compatriots, culminating in the establishment of the first community primary school in the erstwhile Northern Nigeria, the Ilorin United School, in 1943.Alhaji Mahmud Oniyangi’s magnificent one-storey building, was also “an home away from home” for royal and august visitors who were guests of the 8th Emir of Ilorin, Shaykh Abdulkadir Shuaib Bawa, who reigned from 1919 to 1959,and,in fact, those of his Emirate.
Dr. Oniyangi attended Okesuna Elementary School, Ilorin, from 1940 to 1948.
Dr. Oniyangi proceeded to the then Ilorin Middle School, now known as Government Secondary School, Ilorin, from 1948 to 1949.
The place of Dr. Oniyangi in the history of Ilorin is firmly secured for he was among the pioneer set of medical practitioners produced by the historic Emirate.
Apart from that, Dr. Oniyangi’s visions and struggles led to the establishment of the Ilorin Emirate Students Union around 1955.He subsequently served as the pioneer President of the Union, which now has branches all-over the country. This has also firmly placed him in the “Hall of Fame of Ilorin Emirate”.
Dr. Oniyangi was also the 4th National President of the Ilorin Emirate Descendants Progressive Union, a position he held from 1978 to 1981.The Union, under his watch, established six Community Secondary Schools at a go in 1980! The Union, under his leadership, was also one of the platforms with which funds were raised for the construction of an ultra-modern Central Jumaat Mosque, which stands till date. It must also be stressed that “the umbrella socio-cultural organisation of the people of Ilorin Emirate” was strengthened by the group of university graduates, who had been functional members of the IDSU, which Dr. Oniyangi led into the IEDPU, particularly after the creation of Kwara State, in 1967.
Dr. Oniyangi was, upon graduation, immediately engaged by the then government of Northern Region and was swiftly deployed to the field. He served as a Medical Doctor in several places of the erstwhile Northern Region and would be remembered as a Physician who never minded working in any location provided there were people to be attended to. He was among the few Medical Doctors in the services of the erstwhile Northern Region who catered for the health needs of millions of people across the Region.
He was an House Officer at General Hospital, Kano, in 1966.He also worked at the Ilorin General Hospital as a Medical Officer Grade II. Dr. Oniyangi was also the Medical Officer in-charge of the General Hospitals at Okene and Offa between 1967 and 1969.
In 1979,this great medic was appointed a Permanent Secretary in the Kwara State public service. He subsequently worked in different Ministries before his appointment as the Secretary to the Military Government of Kwara State, which lasted between January,1984 and August,1985.The appointment made him the second Ilorin indigene who will serve as the S.S.G. He was only preceded by Alhaji AbdulRasheed Salman Alada (b.1938), who served between 1979 and 1983.
Perhaps, the greatest contribution of this icon was his establishment of the Ilorin Emirate Students Union(IESU) in the 1950s then known as the Ilorin Descendants Students Union(IDSU).He was also the founding President of the Union.
The significance of that  specific contribution should not just be seen in its enduring nature and spread throughout the length and breadth of the country but also as a body which promoted and accelerated the acquisition of western education in Ilorin Emirate.
Dr. Oniyangi remains a model personality whose efforts and successes encouraged many members of the then younger generations to aspire for scholarship and greatness. Many of those he inspired are themselves, today, distinguished elder statesmen.
This great man had served as the Head, Federal Medical Team to 1979 Hajj Exercise and the President, Sickle Cell Club of Nigeria, Kwara State Chapter between 1992 and 1999.He also served as a Member of the Board of Directors, New Nigerian Development Company from 1984 to 1985.He was the Chairman and Council Member, Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria from 1999 to 2003.
This alluring son of Ilorin, despite all, is one of the few”unusual”Ilorin men of his era, who is “thoroughly-monogamous”as he is married to a woman, Hajiya Memunat Oniyangi, the younger sister to the late General Tunde Idiagbon (1943-1999).I was, therefore, not too surprised when he told me in 2008 that, throughout his life, he never womanised, smoked or romanced the bottle. Don’t we have something to learn from him?
Dr. Oniyangi’s contributions to human  development transcended his services as a Medical Doctor to being a Community Developer, Public Servant and an Electoral Manager. He is a distinguished family man who has succeeded in raising children that are not just outstanding but also contributing most significantly to the development of our society. His sophisticated offsprings are among the most accomplished professionals who remain humble, humane and humorous and who see everyone they come across as members of the same human family who must be accorded the respect they deserve. I may not know all of them, I can, however, say a little about the conviviality of Abdulmumini Yinka Oniyangi, who was my senior at ABU, Zaria and the unpretentious humility of Latundun, who regards every gentleman or lady as her sibling.
In appreciation of his contributions,Dr.Oniyangi was conferred with the national honour of the Officer of the Federal Republic(OFR) in 2010, among several other recognitions that have come his way.
Prof.Ibrahim Agboola Gambari CFR (b.1944) Nigeria’s Ex-Permanent Representative to the United Nations and former Minister of Foreign Affairs, recalls the patriotic role of this unsung hero”as a one-man Counselor and Guide on the prospects for the future and a career in higher education”.He added that he and his then fellow students “were so impressed by his intellect and his passion for education and commitment to Ilorin that we all wanted to be like him when we grew up”.
Dr.Oniyangi is also an unassuming linguist who speaks Hausa, Igbo, Idoma, Igala, Tiv, Yoruba, Fulfude, English, among other languages, which he picked in the course of his eventful career.
It is befitting and a great honour to Ilorin Emirate that this unassuming patriot rounded-off his public service career without any form of scandal or blemish. Despite his advanced age and health challenges, Dr. Oniyangi worked relentlessly with other compatriots under the Chairmanship of the cerebral Prof. Attahiru Jega, to organise an improved general elections, which midwived the emergence of General Muhammadu Buhari GCFR (b.1942) as the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria in 2015.
While wishing this great patriot a very happy birthday and many useful years ahead, it is important to round-off this piece by calling on youths and other aspiring leaders to emulate the sterling qualities of this great man, who despite the affluence of his progenitors and “recurring temptations” of his environment, worked so hard to build his own greatness as a Medical Doctor and a genuine public servant who worked enormously for the progress of humanity. As his career exemplified, we must not always expect what the community would do for us but always be labour ourselves with what we will do for our community. That is the only way we can always kill two birds with a stone through sustaining the greatness of our society while also creating immortality for ourselves.
Imam is the National Publicity Secretary, Ilorin Emirate Descendants Progressive Union (IEDPU)

Show More

Related Articles

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Back to top button