Former Classmates Celebrate Prof. Yusuf
.As He Recounts Academic Journey
By Lanre Olaleye
A few days ago, the news of Dr. Yusuf's promotion to become a full professor at the prestigious University of Lagos hit the airwaves. He was celebrated by families and friends, associates and former class mates.
He has thus become the pioneer and thorough-bred Professor of Insurance and Risk Management.
An astute academic and renowned expert in Islamic finance with over 20 years of experience, lecturing Insurance and Risk Management. He is an Imam, an erudite Islamic scholar and the pioneer Amir of the Muslim Student Society of Nigeria (MSSN) UNILAG Branch.
He is currently the Acting President and Chairman, Governing Council, Institute of Islamic Finance Professionals (IIFP).
In felicitation, Prof. Yusuf was recently hosted to a dinner by his former UNILAG classmates at the Chen Chinese Restaurant along Isaac John Road, GRA,Ikeja.
Aside celebrating the new professor, it was also a reunion of some sort for the 1989 Actuarial Science and Insurance graduating students. Many who had not seen each other for more than 30 years were elated to relived fond memories and threw banters at each other.
One of Prof. Yusuf classmates, Dr. Aduloju who incidentally is Yusuf's co-lecturer in the Department of Actuarial Science and Insurance at UNILAG noted that despite being an Islamic scholar, Prof. Yusuf did not allow religion to determine his relationship with his colleagues.
In his remark, Prof. Yusuf was full of appreciation for the honour accorded him by his former classmates.
He also recounted his academic journey which started from his undergraduate days even as he expressed appreciation to God for guiding him through.
"I am blatantly overwhelmed. I never thought of studying Insurance but what I observed is that most of us who ended up studying Insurance had chosen Accounting or Finance. I chose Accounting but I was given Insurance. At the end of the day, I found out I actually made a good choice.
During my undergraduate days, I never thought I could ever come back to the Department. For your information, after spending nine years in the industry, I thought of going back to the Academics. Just because I did Management at the Masters Level, I applied for a teaching at the Department of Business Administration but it didn't gel because I didn't have Business Administration as my First Degree. But the day I came to recieve the bad news, I ran into Dr. Ojikutu on the staircase. Dr. Ojikutu incidentally supervised my project during my undergraduate. I greeted him and he asked: 'What are you doing here?' I told him I came looking for a job at the Department of Business Administration but they didn't employ me and I was returning home. He said: 'They didn't employ you but I used to see you on NTA?' I told him that was a freelance job. 'You are looking for job, come I will give you a job' was his reply. 'Go and write an application and bring it to my office. If you don't meet me, slit it under the door, I will surely get it.' he added.
The following day, I brought my application and CV and that was how the journey started in 1999 ten years after I graduated. When I came back, it was the challenge of getting PhD. It was during Prof. Jelili Omotola era. You either have a PhD or you would not be confirmed. So, I started a PhD programme in UNAAB. I thought of specializing in Agriculture because there was no institution offering Insurance at PhD level. I was there from 2000 to 2003 without making an headway. They wanted me to do courses at undergraduate level because you must take these courses before you can be admitted for post-graduate study. That was when the thought of going abroad came.
Eventually, I went abroad on a study leave with the support of Prof. Ojikutu and the then Dean, Prof. Wole Adewunmi. They gave strong support and you know when you have it easy in your Department and Faculty, people at the Senate Building will not have any cause to turn you down.
So, I went to one of the best universities in the UK, Nothingham University and fortunately my Supervisor, Steven Diacon, a British used to be the External Examiner of our Department in those days during the Falegan era. So, I had it very easy, it was as if I was in the UNILAG environment. After four to five years, I came back. Though I had offers, there was pressure to either stay back or return home but I had signed a bond to return home after my study leave and to the glory of God I was able to fulfill the bond and I came back and it has been very interesting.
With Dr. Aduloju, he is such an amiable person such that each time I sees him, I am always very happy. When the idea of this platform came, I was overwhelmed with joy because whatever you are today has a beginning and it is those beginnings that actually determine where you are today. My initial plan was to get the professorship by year 2020 but COVID came, it was enough excuse if I didn't make it as planned but to the glory of God my professorship was backdated to year 2020 precisely 1st of October 2020. I think God has been wonderful to me and I am overjoyed with what you have done for me today. I pray God will crown all our efforts with success. You are all my friends, you are part of my history and pray this kind of accomplishments for each and everyone. Thank you."
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