The University Management under the leadership of Professor Angela Freeman Miri, Vice-Chancellor has received with great shock the heartbreaking news of the passing away of two illustrious personalities and friends of the University, Honourable Justice Nasiru Ajanah, the Chief Judge of Kogi State and Mr. Aliyu Lawal, a former External Member of the Second Governing Council, Federal University Lokoja (FUL).

The University Community is grieved by the sudden demise of these great heroes and compatriots of our time, who have contributed immensely in their own capacities to the growth and development of Federal University Lokoja. We are deeply saddened that at a time when their expertise and wealth of experience were most needed, the cold hand of death has snatched them away from us. Nevertheless, we take solace in the fact that they lived meaningful lives and left indelible footprints and legacies worthy of emulation.

Justice Ajanah played a significant role in the establishment of FUL Basketball Academy, one of the University’s Community Service Programmes initiated by the Sports Centre through the Sports Coordinator, Mr. Okeme Nda Sule. The academy has been serving both primary and secondary school pupils/students from around the University’s immediate community and has produced young players who have represented Kogi State in the Annual All Nigeria Secondary Schools Nestle Milo Basketball Championship where the State took second and third positions in 2015 and 2016 respectively.

Justice Ajanah was an active and regular guest at the Annual Students Inter-Faculty Sports Competition of the University. He was the Guest of Honour in 2014 when the University staged the first ever Youth Basketball Camp in conjunction with a Non-Governmental and Non-Profit Sports Organization, Basketball for Peace tagged “FUL/BB4P ANNUAL YOUTH BASKETBALL SUMMER CAMP.” He equally supported the hosting of the event with cash and equipment. The three-day basketball camp drew young students from various secondary schools across the State. 

Justice Ajanah was also one of the strong pillars behind the FUL Students Union Games which he supported with cash donations as well as other organizational logistics on the two occasions that the games were staged on the campus of the University.

In recognition of his contributions to the development of sports in the University, the Sports Centre organized a basketball match as part of the activities to celebrate his 64th birthday in September, 2019.  He was personally present to witness the game where he shared a lot of ideas with the young basketball players who played in his honour. Honourable Justice Nasiru Ajanah was indeed a great inspiration and encouragement to the University and he will be greatly missed!

Mr. Lawal was also an active member of the Project Monitoring Committee (PMC), a Council Committee saddled with the responsibility of effective monitoring of all projects (physical and non-physical) embarked upon by the University to ensure that the projects meet the stipulated and required standards and specifications in line with global best practices, and also to ensure that projects are executed within the agreed time-frame, while not compromising standards.

As a technocrat and entrepreneur, Mr Lawal developed the blue print on the utilization of the large expanse of land outside the core academic area of the Permanent Site (Felele Campus) for entrepreneurship development in order to boost the Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) of the University. The University equally benefited from his magnanimity when he donated some chessboards to the Sports Unit for use during sporting activities.  

Mr. Lawal who until his death, was the Chief Executive Officer of AML Global Trade Limited, was present at the Council end-of-tenure dinner night held on Tuesday, 11th February, 2020 at the FUL Liaison Office in Abuja, an event hosted by the Chancellor of the University, HRH Alh. (Dr.) Muhammadu Abali Ibn Muhammadu Idriss, the Emir of Fika and Chairman, Yobe State Council of Chiefs and Emirs, to mark the successful end of Emeritus Professor Nimi Dimkpa Briggs’ led Second Governing Council of the University.

The University Management led by the Vice-Chancellor, Professor Angela Freeman Miri has paid condolence visits to the bereaved families and prayed God to grant them the fortitude to bear the irreplaceable losses. She equally joined other well-meaning Nigerians to pray for the peaceful repose of their souls.

Below are some of the pictures of the condolence visits.