By Engr. Mustafa Balarabe Shehu
Perhaps the most certain phenomenon of human life, but most times coming as a surprise and even shock, is death. This can be explained by the fact that Allah (subhanahu wa ta’ala), the creator of all beings, has kept secret to himself alone the time, place, and cause for such death for each human being. Of course, the level of shock is also proportional to the level of intimacy the deceased has to the person concerned.
That was exactly what happened on Monday, 11th May at 2:14 pm when the daughter of Ibrahim Khaleel Inuwa (IK, as we fondly call him) called to confirm to me the death of their father about an hour earlier. I was driving from my house in Kano to visit a cousin whom we had a prior appointment with. I was shocked to the bone marrow, to say the least! I had to park my car for a while to regain my composure and come to terms with the reality of the shocking news. As a Muslim, I had to recite a part of a verse in the holy Quran that says ‘Inna lillahi wa inna ilaihi raji’un’ (verily we are all from Allah and unto him we shall all return) a couple of times before I could gain some level of composure.
I then asked myself, what can I do before I go to the house for the funeral arrangement? It immediately dawned on me that I have many things in common with IK, in spite of the 14-year age gap between us:
1. We are both from the old Kano City; therefore, I know many of his relatives, friends, and acquaintances.
2. We are both Old Boys of Government College Kaduna and therefore members of KADOBA.
3. We are both alumni of Ahmadu Bello University. He graduated in 1973 while I graduated in 1985.
4. We are both engineers and play active roles in the activities of the Nigerian Society of Engineers. He served as NSE President in 1989 and 1990, and I served in the same position in 2012 and 2013.
These four constituencies I have in common with IK made a lot of people identify me as a loyal junior brother to IK, as these define more than 80% of his activities during his lifetime.
I had to take the courage of calling some of his friends in Kano, first of whom is Dr. Shamsuddeen Usman, who has been his friend right from primary school days to that fateful day. Shamsuddeen is also the Chairman of the Kano/Jigawa Professionals Forum (KPF), a forum comprising professionals from Kano and Jigawa who have made it to the apex leadership position of their Professional Association/Body. IK and I are members of the KPF.
I then called the leadership of NSE at the Kano and national levels, Engr. Mohammed Adamu and Engr. Babagana Mohammed respectively, as well as the COREN President, Engr. Ali A. Rabi’u, who was also locked down in Kano for the last six weeks. Engr. Rabi’u was also shocked and confused on hearing the news. When he learnt that I was around his area at the time, he requested and pleaded with me to come through his house so that we can go together in my car for the funeral. I believe he wanted to be saved the trouble of driving while in a confused state.
On our way to the residence of IK, my mind was just wandering over the possibility of false news, or maybe I was dreaming, even though I heard the news from his daughter, Hauwa, who is professionally close to me having read electrical engineering just like her sister Amina. Both have gone through tutelage in my office some years back. IK used to call them my daughters or sometimes my students, as they read electrical engineering like myself and not the mechanical engineering he read.
As we approached the house, I saw many cars parked and people in a very sober mood. On reaching the house, I confirmed beyond doubt that indeed IK was no more, as his body was being prepared for the funeral prayers. We offered our Asr prayer around 3:50 pm in the mosque opposite his house where IK used to be the Imam. The body was brought out for the funeral prayer at 4:10 pm. The prayer took about 15 minutes, after which the body was accompanied to the graveyard immediately. By 4:50 pm, the body was buried, and we all departed to our various homes because of the COVID-19 restrictions on gatherings to receive condolences.
From that time up to the time of writing this piece, I have been receiving calls for condolence by the minute, from many people—especially engineers and KADOBA members from all over the country.
Inna lillahi wa Inna Ilaihi raji’un… May Allah reward abundantly all those who participated in the funeral, as well as all those who called or/and prayed from their homes, cities, towns, and villages for the repose of Engr. Ibrahim Inuwa’s soul. May Allah reward his good deeds, forgive his shortcomings, and admit him into Aljannat Firdaus.
First Encounter and Mentorship
While I had been hearing about him earlier, my first physical encounter with IK was in December 1990 when I attended my first NSE Conference in Jos. In those days, people collected their NSE certificates during conferences, and I was happy when I learnt that I could collect my own there, having successfully gone through the interview and exams earlier in the year.
IK Inuwa was the President then. One could not escape seeing the charming and elegant personality in him. He was an engineer and leader full of life, smiling always, eloquent, and captivating his audience while speaking. That was Ibrahim Khaleel Inuwa! He radiated engineering to anyone that came close to him. I saw in him a mentor and therefore started getting closer to him, especially when I became the Chairman of the NSE Kano Branch (2000-2001), thereby frequenting his office and house to discuss engineering and national issues.
He guided me through my tenure as Chairman, making sure that the Kano Branch came back to the center stage in the affairs of NSE nationally. As a Branch, we received the ‘Most Improved Branch Award’ in 2001 due to such guidance among other efforts. His office in Kano could qualify as a Showroom or Museum for Awards and Accolades, as all four walls of the office were decorated from top to bottom with such awards, certificates, souvenirs, and accolades. There is no way anyone could stay with IK for 15 minutes without him preaching engineering to the person. To him, engineering was the solution to everything in life.
Before the 2005 AGM of the NSE, my initial intention was to contest for EXCO Member, until Engr. Emeka Ezeh, the then Deputy President, advised me to contest for the position of Vice President. IK was the first person I consulted, and he jumped at it with jubilation and gave me the go-ahead to contest for the VP position. The decision attracted some challenges which were subsequently overcome. I won that election, and the rest is now history.
One of his best moments in my relationship with him was when I won election as Deputy President in Owerri in 2009. The smile of the smiling IK became broader, and he was so happy that Kano would produce another NSE president after him. When we came back to Kano, he organized a dinner in my honor to celebrate the election victory. Senior members of the profession and other “Who’s Who” in Kano were invited to attend. His doors at home and office were always open to me for guidance, support, and encouragement throughout my tenure as President of NSE (2012-2013). That greatly helped me in leading a peaceful NSE that was rancor-free and full of achievements.
May Allah reward his good deeds, forgive his shortcomings, and admit him into Aljannat Firdaus.
At the International Engineering Arena
At the international engineering arena, IK was also at the forefront. He led the International Affairs Committee of the Nigerian Society of Engineers from 2006 to 2019 (i.e., for 14 years). He attended more than 20 conferences organized by the World Federation of Engineering Organizations (WFEO) and many similar conferences in Africa, especially in Ghana, Sierra Leone, Kenya, Egypt, Tunisia, Zimbabwe, Malawi, and Zambia.
He played a key role in the establishment of the West African Federation of Engineering Organizations (WAFEO) in March 2012 in Accra, Ghana. He also played an important role in the rebranding and unification of African engineering institutions under the umbrella of the Federation of African Engineering Organizations (FAEO), which took place at the General Assembly in Nairobi, Kenya in May 2012. It was at that General Assembly that South Africa and Nigeria were elected into the President and President-Elect positions. Martin van Veelen from South Africa and I were subsequently given the opportunity to serve in those positions respectively. The General Assembly also took a decision to have the FAEO Secretariat hosted in Abuja, Nigeria.
When I took over as FAEO President (2015-2016), Engr. Inuwa was always there for me, giving me the appropriate guidance, support, and encouragement that led to my success in that position. He attended all meetings and functions that were requested of him, including the signing of the MoU between the FAEO and the African Union Commission on 15th December 2016.
May Allah reward his good deeds, forgive his shortcomings, and admit him into Aljannat Firdaus.
At the World Federation of Engineering Organizations (WFEO) Level
At the WFEO level, IK participated in the activities of many committees, especially the Energy Committee. He never went unnoticed wherever he decided to be. He was so glad to learn that my colleagues from other African countries had endorsed my candidature to contest for the position of Executive Vice President of WFEO.
He had several meetings with me in his office to map out strategies to win the election in Melbourne, Australia, in his position as my mentor and self-appointed Director of Campaign. On reaching Melbourne, IK was restless throughout the days leading up to the General Assembly. I had to keep telling him to take it easy, as all would be well based on our earlier interactions with the engineers from the different continental blocks.
When the result of the election was announced and I won at the General Assembly on 23rd November 2019, he was among the first to congratulate me. He was smiling broadly and continuously, displaying his inner happiness. He also posted the election result immediately to the engineering fraternity in Nigeria, the various groups in Kano, as well as the KADOBA group. Almost everyone got to know about the election result through him. That was IK, who gave his all to anything he decided to involve himself in.
May Allah reward his good deeds, forgive his shortcomings, and admit him into Aljannat Firdaus.
Final Reflections
IK was my senior colleague and mentor, but many times he related with me as a friend and confidant, sharing with me many of his personal issues. I was talking with Engr. K.A. Ali and Engr. A.A. Rabi’u on that fateful day, noting that our council meetings and conferences will lose a lot of glamour and humor due to the absence of IK. I also learnt that his classmate, Engr. E.J.S. Uujamhan, took almost three days to recover from the shock of his death. In fact, the whole engineering family will feel the loss.
He related with people of all ages very freely and liked people who took challenges in order to excel in any given field. His standard was high, and he expected everyone else to aim to achieve high. He did not give room for mediocrity.
While we feel pained by his loss, we must take solace in the fact that he died peacefully during the holy month of Ramadan while worshiping Allah through fasting. This is certainly a good way to end a life. May Allah give us and his immediate family the fortitude to bear the loss.
May Allah reward his good deeds, forgive his shortcomings, and admit him into Aljannat Firdaus.
Engr. Mustafa Balarabe Shehu, FNSE, FSESN
Executive Vice President, WFEO
Past President, FAEO
Past President, NSE
18th May 2020.