Saliu Mustapha Donates Houses to Widows of Late Ilorin Cleric

Hammed Shittu in Ilorin

The All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate in the 2023 Kwara Central Senatorial election, Mallam Saliu Mustapha, has given out a 3-bedroom twin semi-detached apartments to the wives of the late renowned Islamic cleric, Sheikh Abdulganiy Aboto Al-Adaby.

Sheikh Aboto and two of his aides died in the flooding that ravaged some parts of Kwara State last Friday. Their corpses were recovered by the state fire service from a river in Ilorin, on the second day of the incident.

The death of the cleric has thrown the Muslim community into mourning, with tributes pouring in from different parts of the country.

THISDAY checks revealed that the cleric died without a house, leaving the two wives and 17 children in a rented apartment. He was also reported to have left a paltry N15,000  in his bank accounts.

The State Governor, Alhaji AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq had on Thursday joined prominent citizens, scholars and sympathisers in Aboto-Alfa in Asa Local Government of the state for the Fidau prayer for the late Sheikh Abdulganiyu Aboto.

However,  apparently in order to ameliorate the agony of the families, Mallam Mustapha, on Wednesday, announced a donation of brand new twin semi-detached 3-bedroom apartments to the two wives and the children left behind by the cleric.

Apart from this, the two widows are expected to be empowered with capital to enable them to begin businesses to support the families left behind by the late cleric.

Similarly, the families of the two aides that died in the ghastly accident with the popular cleric are also to be supported to ameliorate the agonies of losing their loved ones.

The gesture from Mallam Mustapha, it was learnt, was communicated to the Khaliful Adabiya, Sheik Mohammed Kamaldeen, who received the news with joy and prayed fervently for the Turaki of Ilorin, Mallam Mustapha for his unrelenting efforts in the Ilorin Emirate.

Kamaldeen also recalled that the Turaki of Ilorin had sometime last year privately donated a huge sum of money for the completion of the Sheikh Kamaldeen Islamic University on the request of the Board of Trustees of the University.

Meanwhile, residents of Aboto Alfa, in Asa Local Government Area of the state where the late cleric hailed from, have applauded the kind gesture by Mallam Mustapha.

A community leader, Alhaji Liadi Mogaji of Mogaji’s compound, Aboto, said this was yet another thoughtful intervention from Mallam Mustapha, whom he described as a benevolent giver.

He said, “I am short of words. It is only God that can reward Mallam Mustapha for this. This is how we expect our elites to do in our time of need.

“This is what Turaki has been doing that a few irresponsible people are critical of.

“My advice is that in spite of their unfounded criticism, the Turaki of Ilorin should not stop. He should continue to be who he is. His critics have nothing to lose for they are election season politicians who feel that speaking grammar without more is enough to lead a society or represent the people.”