When in August, Mallam Saliu Mustapha was announced the fourth Turaki of Ilorin, it was greeted with applause and accolades. This may partly be informed by the manner in which he has registered himself in the consciousness of the people as a patriot and philanthropist of note in the last few years. The handsome Mustapha is an accomplished businessman and also a politician but he’s more known for his impactful philanthropy.

Like the previous holders of the Turaki title, there is no project or programme undertaken in Ilorin in the last few years without his meaningful input. But unlike some politicians from popular Ilorin families who have dominated the socio-political life of Ilorin Emirate and Kwara State, Mustapha, who is in his 40s, is said to have impacted so many lives in Ilorin without needless hype. He has also contributed millions of naira towards the running of the Ilorin Central Jumat Mosque, and he is not stopping. Spotlight learnt that these good deeds of his were chiefly considered in his selection for the Turaki title. During his official turbanning ceremony some weeks ago, the entire Emirate was agog as the people rolled out the drums to celebrate the kind-hearted gentleman.

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It was a day of glitz and rich cultural heritage of all the ethnic groups in Ilorin —the Yorubas, the Fulanis, the Hausas, the Nupes and others— all came to the fore for Mustapha. The super excited philanthropist expressed his appreciation to the Emir of llorin for the honour in view of the importance of the title towards the development of the llorin emirate and beyond.

Spotlight gathered that prior to his turbanning, Mustapha, despite not being in the power loop, has been helping so many indigent Ilorin and non-Kwarans since 2008. In fact, for all those years, he has been spending at least N60 million annually on scholarships for these indigent students. With his new assignment as the Turaki, Mustapha said he is ready to do more.