By Prof Hassan A. Saliu
Professor W.O. Alli turned 76 some months back. A renowned scholar in the field of International Relations, Professor Alli joined the University of Jos in 1981 as a corps member. He was subsequently employed by the University after completing his service year with a PhD from a university in Ukraine.
UNIJOS where Alli rose from a corper to a professor, HoD and Dean of PG School before retirement
During his time at UNIJOS, he served as Head of Department, Dean of Postgraduate Studies, Chairman of ASUU, and supervisor of numerous undergraduate and postgraduate projects. Notable Political Scientists, including Professors Victor Adetula, Pam Dung Sha, Bonaventure Haruna, Drs. Wapmuk, Ubi, Olutoki, and many others, were supervised by him. He retired from the University in 2018 but was retained on contract due to his significant contributions until the COVID-19 pandemic and a controversial payment platform ended his contract.
I fondly refer to Professor Alli as someone who studied Political Science in the land of communism, the USSR. This background shaped him into a firebrand Marxist scholar, evident in his early writings. However, he has since developed a new academic interest in China. According to the Head of Department of Political Science, University of Jos, Professor Major Adeyi, Professor Alli is a pillar of the department, being its longest-serving Professor, teacher of teachers, and mentor to many younger ones.
At 76, Oga Alli, who is also known as Baba Jos, is not yet tired. He is still very much eager and ready to discharge academic responsibilities. Recently, I made a call to him to represent the NPSA on a government committee, and he accepted my nomination without much ado.
As a longstanding member of the Nigerian Political Science Association (NPSA), Professor Alli has attended most of our recent annual conferences. For instance, he was in Sokoto, Port Harcourt, Calabar, Ilorin, and Lokoja. He served as Assistant Secretary (1986-1988) and Director of Research and Publications (2005-2007). His passion for the NPSA is evident, and he remains actively involved, offering advice and support whenever needed.
I must remark that he was part of the effort to revive our Association from its slumber in 2015 at the National Defence College, Abuja, which led to the Keffi conference later that year. He has just been nominated as a member of the Board of Trustees of the NPSA.
Alli’s base or one of such
As a stabilizer, he was with us at Ilorin in 2021 to ensure that all went well with our elections. Earlier, he played the same role in Sokoto in 2011 when he put his weight behind Sokoto to host the Secretariat, a decision that was not popular with some of us. On the platform of the Nigerian Society of International Affairs, (NSIA), he played the same role in 2012 by aligning with the Lead City University, Ibadan to host the Secretariat. The events afterwards were not too pleasing to him as the two associations became less visible in the public space.
Professor Alli’s unique approach to mentoring students has earned him respect and admiration. As one of his mentees, Prof. Sam Egwu, noted, he is a good man, always calm but willing to speak up when necessary. He is a principled person who stands by his convictions, even when alone.
He showed his character in the Society for International Relations (SIRA), when he was the only man standing on the issue of headship of the society. His position was that power must shift to much younger members of the association. He therefore rooted for me to head the society. However, things did not work out as envisaged by him. Notwithstanding, he remains one of the leaders of the society.
Also, when due to the situation he faced at UNIJOS over ASUU matters, I appealed to him as I did with his late friend to come over to Ilorin. In his characteristic manner, he turned it down but not bluntly. Rather, he came up with a cogent reason why he would not consider the option. As a believer in ASUU, he was literally forgotten as an editor of the union, editing its social science journal until he called attention to his overdrawn tenure.
His commitment to ASUU has also paid off in a way, as he had served on the council of the Nigerian Institute of International Affairs (NIIA), under two successive heads of the agency: Profs. Bukarambe and Osaghae.
Professor Alli is a man one can joke with on anything without getting annoyed. For instance, I once cracked a joke with him when he and another senior member were made members of an accreditation team to a university down south of Nigeria. The joke was that I pity the university with two Ijebu men on accreditation to the university.
I said to him that the university may not pass the accreditation because of the strictness of the Ijebu men on the team. He said ‘well, well’ and just laughed it off. Whenever Professor Alli says “well, well” after a submission, what he means is that you are on your own. What will follow will be disapproval, though very subtly.
His contributions to the NPSA are invaluable, and we appreciate his dedication. For instance, when it was difficult to organize our annual conference in 2023, he was the first person to make a personal contribution to our dedicated conference account before others followed. His significant contribution to our communique on electoral reforms in 2023 cannot be forgotten by members who worked with him on that. I thank him for all his efforts in assisting our Association.
I therefore urge him to, even in retirement, continue supporting the NPSA, which he joined in the 1980s. On behalf of the NPSA executive committee, I wish Professor Alli a happy 76th birthday and many more years in good health, prosperity, and wisdom.
The author is the President, NPSA.
