The Dan Amanar of Fune Emirate and President/CEO of Funab Group of Companies Ltd, Alhaji Ibrahim Mohammed Ajia, has described the death of the Grand Khalifah of the Tijaniyyah Movement in Kwara State, Sheikh Abubakar Yusuf Agbade, as not only a monumental loss to the Muslim Ummah but also a deeply personal one.
In his condolence message, Ajia conveyed his heartfelt condolences to the Emir of Ilorin, Alhaji (Dr.) Ibrahim Sulu-Gambari, CFR, the Ilorin Emirate, Kwara State, and the global Tijaniyyah family.
Ajia, visibly pained by the news, recounted his special bond with the late scholar:
“The death of Sheikh Abubakar Yusuf Agbade is indeed a personal and great loss to me. I was introduced to him years ago by former Taraba State Governor, Rev. Jolly Nyame, and since then, he took me as a son. Anytime he came to Abuja, he would visit me in my home, and whenever I was in Ilorin, he will visit and I always visited him. He was a trusted father figure to me.”
Ajia recalled sensing the cleric’s ill health during their last conversation and even invited him to Abuja for medical attention, but Sheikh Agbade declined.
“By Allah’s will, I could not see him again due to the loss of both my parents within the same period. His passing came as a shock to me,”
Ajia further described the late Grand Khalifah as a versatile, humble, and unassuming leader whose calm nature and spiritual guidance touched lives across Kwara, Northern Nigeria, Africa and beyond.
“I will forever miss him. His influence stretched wide across the North and the entire country. He was a man of few words but great wisdom and impact. I sincerely commiserate with the Khalifah, his wife, his family, the Tijaniyyah movement, the Emir of Ilorin, and the Muslim Ummah. May Allah forgive his shortcomings, accept his good deeds, and grant him Al-Jannatul Firdaus,” Ajia prayed.
He urged the family, the Ilorin Emirate, and the wider Muslim community to find strength in the legacy of faith and unity that Sheikh Agbade left behind.
