Justice Belgore: A life at 80

I have been privileged and blessed in so many ways that anytime I try to count my blessings, all I can honestly say is Alhamdullillah.  My biological father died 24 years ago. It was an emotionally trying period but, as a Muslim, I believe Allah owns our souls; He gives and He takes and we […]

I have been privileged and blessed in so many ways that anytime I try to count my blessings, all I can honestly say is Alhamdullillah. 

My biological father died 24 years ago. It was an emotionally trying period but, as a Muslim, I believe Allah owns our souls; He gives and He takes and we are grateful for the chance to live. 

There were so many people in our lives at the time my biological father was alive. After his death however, it was easy for some of them to slip away, in twos, in tens…Some remained; they stayed out of choice, out of knowledge that the reason why they were there in the first place was not gone with my biological father. 

I can mention them all here but I am writing today specifically because of one particular figure that has made it hard for me to call myself an ‘orphan’ without a moment’s hesitation, for one person that has helped me keep faith in humanity and has me asking myself, how anyone can be so kind. I am not sure I can aptly describe just how much it means to us that Baba chose to stay but still, I will try.

Today, I celebrate Justice SalihuModibbo Alfa Belgore at 80! Most would describe him as the icon and great achiever that he is. I choose to talk about him as a father. How does one describe the father whose excellence you want to model but you know that those shoes are waaay too big? What do you say to the father who will always say “duty ne” (it is my duty) when you say thank you? Or the one that has chosen to fight your battles while telling you to just sit it out and not to worry. And really, don’t worry because he will fight to win, just to make sure you are okay. Or the father that is there, always?

I remember a day he came to visit us in Law School, and he asked if we were okay. We all confirmed we were, and he said, I will make you so comfortable; you will have no excuse to fail! My heart sank not for the fear of failing but for the fear of disappointing him if indeed I failed. What he said worked because I definitely did not want to disappoint him. 

Anytime, anywhere I saw Baba, whether at formal or informal gatherings, Baba would introduce me like I was a celebrity, he is always, always proud of me. The pride, the love… there is no articulating what it has done for my morale over the years and what it still does. He is proud of my achievements and it makes me want to make him prouder.

Once I asked him, how do you keep so many friends from all walks of life for decades on end? His simple response was, “I do not quarrel with anybody”. It is that simple, yet immensely hard. Choose love.

He is a fantastic storyteller; he does not forget dates, people, names or places. Sometimes, stories are told with maps so that a deep understanding of the subject is achieved. There is a story that Baba Alfa has related to me a couple of times and I never get tired of hearing it. 

As a young prince from Ilorin, he had gone on holiday with his uncle, an Alkali, to Zaria where he met many great men, including Waziri Muhammadu Lawal (my paternal grandfather). He bonded with Waziri to the extent that when it was time to return to Ilorin, Waziri gifted him two sets of Bubban Riga. Baba took his new clothes to England where he began schooling. At the welcome reception, he met a young man whose complexion, height, pointed nose and facial looks were exactly like Waziris. Baba Alfa walked up to that young man and said “youmust be Waziri’s son”… that was the beginning of a relationship that has lasted beyond the lifetime of that young man Justice Shehu Usman Mohammed. They became friends, colleagues, confidants and more than anything, brothers. By the time I was born, the friendship had spanned decades, so what do I know?

Dear Baba, we celebrate you every day, especially today for your words, your extreme kindness, your big-heartedness, your choice to make us hesitate before we pronounce ourselves “orphans” and all the love that flows from you. Thank you for teaching us that one determined person can make all the difference in the world. Thank you for teaching us to choose love all the time.

Happy 80th Birthday to an icon, a model and a father, Justice SalihuModibbo Alfa Belgore (GCON)

Your daughter (Who I’m sure speaks the minds of the hundreds of children you have).

Mohammed wrote in from Abuja.