A well-deserved tribute is befitting to an icon who is a quintessential paragon of human virtues. Late Pa Alhaji Jimoh Adisa Gbadamosi arrived this world on Friday, March 18, 1927, lived a meritorious life worth emulating and left the world for the great beyond on Monday 15th Day of May 2023. Gbadamosi was 96 years old. Ustaz Babatunde Jose pays tribute to the late educationist, devout Muslim who as a leader and teacher led an indelible influence on those who passed through his tutelage
Dring a lecture on the occasion of his 90th birthday, Alhaji Gbadamosi was showcased as a case study in leadership. We opined that every human endeavor requires a unifying and driving force for success and that driving force is ultimately traced to good leadership. A leader is required to meet his obligations to Allah, the Supreme Power, as well as to discharge his duties towards His people (Makhluq) or his followers to the best of his ability. Alhaji Gbadamosi did not shirk his duties as a leader and to all intents and purposes, he lived up to the billing.
In our working life and in society, an effective leader is one who leads by example, which Alhaji Gbadamosi did throughout his life. Perhaps we could ask ourselves how we carried out our leadership roles, whether at home, or at our workplaces, among friends or society? Do we hold on firmly and strongly to principles and pursue Allah’s pleasure and blessings, or do we place ourselves and our self-interests/desires above everything else when we make decisions? Do we only criticize others, yet do not offer alternatives? Do we only order and command, but we do not give a helping hand to those under our charge? Have we strived to become a good example for others? In other words, do we lead through example?
It is, however, sad to note that we cannot boast of a handful of leaders who meet the requirements of good leadership. The sorry state of our clime today is a pointer to the sad chapter of the leadership deficit in our country.
However, in the exemplary life of Alhaji Gbadamosi, there is a semblance of hope for this nation. Papa was a revered father, grandfather, principal, mentor, guide, education guru, leader, maharishi, and a leading light in a nation in spiritual darkness; Alhaji ‘Omoladisa’ Gbadamosi; was a Principal Emeritus.
Some are born leaders; some achieve leadership, and some have leadership entrusted to them. Alhaji Gbadamosi was a leader in all these respects. He earned a Diploma in Geography from the famous Trinity College, University of Dublin, and a Bachelor of Arts degree from the same university in 1953; followed by a Master of Arts degree from the same university in 1967.
Among other qualifications which are too numerous to list, Alhaji was a Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society.
Let it be known that Alhaji Gbadamosi’s working life had revolved around the Islamic association known as Anwar-ul-Islam Movement of Nigeria (formally Ahmadiyya Movement in Islam). This assertion is predicated on his resume of occupational pursuit. At various times, in his long life, Papa had been a pupil teacher, at Ahmadiyya Primary School, Elegbata; Teacher, STM Ahmadiyya High School, Olushi, Lagos. An Ahmadiyya scholar, Alhaji Gbadamosi returned from his sojourn abroad to give back to the organization that added value to his life.
A grateful scholar, it was therefore not a surprise that he was chosen to head Ahmadiyya Grammar School, Eleyele, Ibadan, when that institution was founded in 1955. It is that school that produced the late Vice Chancellor of University of Lagos, Professor Jelili Omotola and late Professor Adekola, the longest serving Dean of the Faculty of Engineering of the University of Lagos.
He served briefly as principal of Ahmadiyya Girls High School, Surulere Lagos. And in January 1960, he was appointed the principal of the great Ahmadiyya College, Agege, and now Anwar-Ul-Islam Model College. It was here that Alhaji Gbadamosi performed wonders and perfected his leadership qualities as a manager of men and materials. Before he moved on from the school, he completed the construction and commissioning of Jibril Martin Memorial Hall in the school, with furnishing and also erected two blocks of twelve classrooms each, without grant from the Lagos State Government. We cannot say the same for our thieving leaders of today: Principals, who embezzle students’ fees and allocations; milking the school for their own personal gains and aggrandizement.
His exemplary character and contributions to the progress of the school and the Movement did not go unrecognized by the leaders of the Movement.
In a memo of 27, August 1968, late Alhaji Babatunde Jose, then President of the Ahmadiyya Movement and Proprietor of Ahmadiyya Schools, described Alhaji Gbadamosi in these superlatives: “He has played a very important role in the educational progress of the Movement and his contribution to development of Ahmadiyya secondary schools has been second to none.” Alhaji Jose went on to say, “He is a man of very high religious and social discipline. His character is highly exemplary. His leadership and organizational ability are most satisfactory. He has initiative and exercises good judgment in all matters. He has an almost inexhaustible capacity for work and at the same time is always willing to learn new ideas. He is frank without being brash; he is tolerant without being weak; he is an efficient and able school administrator and a very dependable person”.
What more tributes can be paid to a man! Yet, we cannot say the same thing for many of the people we call our leaders today. The origin of our national problem today can best be summed up as a grand failure of leadership. All our problems are evidentiary of a leadership that is bereft of vision and mission; a leadership that has lost its bearing and is tottering without direction or a clue to solving the problems.
Throughout his career trajectory as a teacher, religious leader at State and National levels, Papa was a man of integrity. And today, we are happy that our revered late Principal, Oga, as we fondly called him stands tall amongst his peers as a man of integrity.
During his lifetime, he secured several accolades and testimonials to his honesty, forthrightness, and dedicated leadership from several quarters. Late Alhaji H. A. B. Fasinro, then Vice President of Anwar-Ul-Islam Movement, in a letter of commendation, of 11th June 1982, expressed the gratitude and sincere thanks of the National Executive Council for his unique achievement. At that time, Gbadamosi was the National General Secretary of Anwar-ul-Islam.
Late Chief Adeniran Ogunsanya, then Commissioner for Education, Lagos State, paid glowing tributes to Gbadamosi, in his letter of 20th May 1977: “Alhaji Gbadamosi is a person quiet in disposition and devoted to his profession. In this regard, he remained a teacher throughout, in spite of the prospect of more gainful employment elsewhere. As Principal of one of our secondary schools, he was exemplary in his administration. His personal nature made him an ideal leader of men in the midst of teachers and students alike. He is a devout Muslim, and that attribute is transparent in his desire at all times to be fair to all men”.
Among other achievements and contribution to the progress of Anwar-ul Islam Movement and the educational sector in particular, it is to the credit of late Gbadamosi that through his initiative, Ahmadiyya Boys High School was established in 1961; and was later merged with Ahmadiyya Girls High School to form Jibril Martin Memorial Grammar School, Iponri, where he later served as the principal from 1976 to 1977.
Through his initiative too, in conjunction with his late wife, Ahmadiyya Girls High School, Ojokoro was established in 1973. It is also pertinent to note that those schools performed creditably well during his principalship.
Ahmadiyya College was approved for higher school certificate in 1965 and in 1971, the college produced the best overall student throughout the federation in the HSC exam. Under his stewardship, Ahmadiyya College was noted for its feat in the field of soccer. It is on record that it was the first school to win the Principals Cup in 1960. Most importantly, it was under him that the school was upgraded to a Grade 1 school by the Lagos State Government in 1973.
At various time, late Alhaji Gbadamosi was Honorary Secretary of the Lagos State Principals Cup Football Committee and later served as its chairman; Member, Lagos Amateur Football Association; Member, Lagos State Scholarship Board; Chairman Lagos State Students Advisory Board; Chairman, Lagos State Social Welfare Advisory Committee; Member Governing Council, Nigeria Amateur Judo Association; Chairman, Lagos State Football Association; Member, Lagos State Advisory Board on Education; Founding member, Egbe Omo ‘Eko’ and most importantly, a Merit Awardee of Anwar-ul-Islam Movement of Nigeria. In 2002, The Federal Government of Nigeria conferred on him the National Honour of Order of the Niger (OON).
Alhaji Gbadamosi was richly blessed by Allah and society had given him much honor; it is therefore expected that he should give back to society out of that which he had been given. We find in the Book of Luke in the Bible, the famous saying: “For everyone to whom much is given, from him much will be required; and to whom much has been committed, of him they will ask the more. Luke 12:48 New King James Version (NKJV).”
Alhaji had paid back through the only way he knew; and that was by helping the educationally needy. Through his Alhaji Gbadamosi Educational Endowment Fund, hundreds of thousands have been spent in the form of scholarships, bursaries, stipends, and other forms of allowances. The beneficiaries can be found in various tertiary institutions such as University of Lagos, University of Calabar, Obafemi Awolowo University, Ife, Olabisi Onabanjo University, Ogun State, LASU, Yaba College of Technology and even Daru Wawa Islamic College of Theology.
There is no doubt, Papa has laid a solid foundation for his abode in the hereafter. Alhaji Gbadamosi lived a fulfilled life, an eventful and exemplary life. A life and standard worth emulating. Today, he stands as an icon of hope for us the generation after him; that is if we follow in his footsteps and imbibe all his teachings, we pay him tribute today for his forthrightness and steadfastness.
When principals were principals, Alhaji Gbadamosi would have been described by the late K.O. Mbadiwe as ‘the Principal of Principals’, a great epitaph to a great man. May Allah admit him to Al Jannatul Firdous, obliterate his earthly shortcomings and keep watch over all those he left behind: And he left many behind as attested to by the multitude that witnessed his burial at Abari Cemetery, Epetedo on Tuesday 16th May 2023.
Ustaz Babatunde Jose writes from Lagos.
