Adamu lived with dignity, served without vanity, and believed unwaveringly in Nigeria’s future. Such lives do not truly end; they continue quietly and powerfully through the people they shaped and the values they left behind… Yet his most enduring legacy was not administrative; it was human. He mentored without display, guided without condescension, and helped many find direction at critical moments in their lives
MY dear friend, Prof. Adamu Baiki, some friendships are forged by the passage of time; others are sealed by shared values. Ours belonged firmly to the latter.
We met as young men and classmates in Zaria, on the eve of Nigeria’s independence, at a moment when hope and responsibility hung heavily in the air. It was a period of profound awakening. Like several of our contemporaries—among them Victor Obong Atta, who would later serve as Governor of Akwa Ibom State—Adamu was acutely conscious of the historic threshold at which we stood. We were young, yet we understood that we were witnesses to and participants in the birth of a new nation.
The decolonisation fervour of that era was not merely political; it was intellectual and moral. It urged us to redefine ourselves, to build with purpose, and to serve with integrity. Adamu imbibed that spirit fully, and it remained a quiet but steady force throughout his life.
Even in those early days, Adamu possessed a rare calm authority—never loud, never imposed. Leadership came to him naturally. As a student union leader, he demonstrated an intuitive understanding of people, discipline, and responsibility long before titles or offices followed. Though not formally part of the Zaria Art Society, he was deeply shaped by the same spirit of awakening and purposeful engagement that defined our generation.
As life unfolded, our paths took different expressions—mine in art, his in education—but our bond remained unbroken. What united us was a shared belief in excellence, in service, and in the obligation we owed our country. Adamu believed profoundly in education, not merely as an institution, but as a calling—one that demanded integrity, patience, and sacrifice.
As Vice-Chancellor of the University of Benin, he led quietly but decisively. He strengthened the institution, restored standards, and built systems that endured beyond his tenure. His commitment to academic leadership later took him beyond Nigeria’s borders, where he served as Vice-Chancellor of the University of Lesotho. In recognition of his exceptional service and contributions to national development, the President of Lesotho conferred upon him the country’s highest national honour—an acknowledgement that spoke volumes about the depth of his impact and the respect he commanded.
Following his distinguished assessment and institutional work in Lesotho, the Nasarawa State Government invited him to return home to Nigeria to oversee the take-off of the newly established Nasarawa State University. There once again, he brought his characteristic steadiness, clarity of vision, and disciplined leadership to the demanding task of building an institution from its very foundations.
Yet his most enduring legacy was not administrative; it was human. He mentored without display, guided without condescension, and helped many find direction at critical moments in their lives.
Adamu lived with dignity, served without vanity, and believed unwaveringly in Nigeria’s future. Such lives do not truly end; they continue quietly and powerfully through the people they shaped and the values they left behind.
Rest well, my dear Adamu.
You were a good man.
Your memory will endure.
Bruce Onobrakpeya, NNOM
UNESCO HUMAN LIVING TREASURE (NIGERIA)