Pharm Dahiru Suleiman Wali (1935-2020): An Icon Of Community Pharmacy Practice In Nigeria
By Ahmed Tijjani Mora
INNA LILLAHI WA INNA ILAIHI RAJI’UN: The very sad news of the passing away of Mallam Dahiru Suleiman Wali, FPSN, the founder and proprietor of Tsamiya Pharmaceutical Company Ltd Kaduna (1975-2003), and former chairman of the PSN (Old Kaduna State (now Kaduna and Katsina States) in the early 80s was released this evening Thursday, 21st May, 2020.
He died in Garkuwa Hospital in Kaduna around 7:00pm just two (2) months away from his 85th birthday anniversary. Mallam was born in Kano City on 23rd July, 1935, to the late Walin Kano Suleimanu and Khadijatul-Kubra (alias Mainama). He studied Pharmacy at the School of Pharmacy, Zaria, graduating in 1957.
He later went to the UK where he acquired a B.Sc degree in Chemistry and Zoology in Salford University near Manchester. It was while in the UK that he met with his future wife, German-born wife, Jutta whom he married in August, 1964 and have been together for the past fifty five (55) years until two hours ago.
The marriage is blessed with two children: Dr. Muhammad Ujudud (Andreas) a medical doctor specialist Intervention Cardiology based in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, USA, and Hajia Aisha (Melanie), who is a graduate of Bussiness Administration and married to Alh. Ibrahim Dikko and both are living in Lagos.
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Mallam had worked in the General Hospitals in Ilorin,Bidda and Nursing Home(now Barau Dikko Teaching Hospital), Kaduna. He later joined A J Seward, Pharmaceutical Division and was posted to Zaria and later to Lagos.
He resigned to set up Tsamiya Pharmaceutical Company first along Ahmadu Bello Way, then Sardauna Crescent and finally to the corporate headquarters on Yoruba Road, opposite Magajin Gari’s office, in Kaduna, which he built to specifications for the dispensation of pharmaceutical care even before it was started as a specialized area of pharmacy in Nigeria.
Mallam was on the Faculty Board of Pharmaceutical Sciences ABU Zaria for about twenty years and never missed any of the monthly meetings. He was a donor for the cause of pharmacy education and practice: he’s given me cheques and many textbooks to pass on to the Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences ABU Zaria which I always executed with pleasure.
When I was the foundation Dean of the Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Kaduna state University (KASU) from 2012 to 2016, Mallam called me to his office sometimes around 2014, divided ALL of the books in Pharmacy and related subjects in his Library into two.
He asked me to send each half to both Faculties of Pharmaceutical Sciences ABU Zaria and KASU, Kaduna. He wasn’t able to attend the presentation ceremony of the books in ABU, but he was there in KASU and the then Vice-Chancellor of KASU, Prof Barnabas William Quirix was in attendance and extolled the community responsibility virtues of Mallam.
In April, 2013, Prof Ibrahim Adamu Yakasai, Pharm Aliyu Jibrin, Prof Umar Usman Pate, Pharm Ahmed Gana Mohammed and myself presented the book: “D.S WALI: AN ICON OF COMMUNITY PHARMACY PRACTICE IN NIGERIA” at the Mambayya House, Bayero University Kano.
It was a gathering of who and who including His Excellency Alhaji Yusuf Maitama Sule, CFR of blessed memory who was Mallam’s teacher in Kano Middle School and who was the chairman of the public presentation and launch.
The book was the second biography of any living Nigerian Pharmacist, the first being that of the late Dr. Fred Adenika which I co-authored with Sir Ifeanyi Atueyi and which was presented to the public in February in 2009 in Lagos.
On 23rd July 2015, members of the D.S Wali Book Project Committee with myself as the chairman organized a befitting 80th birthday anniversary for Mallam and initiated a Lecture series from then on to date on each of his birthday anniversaries.
From 2015 to date, we have had Prof U.U. Pateh, Prof H.Kaita, Prof Magaji Garba, Prof E.M Abdurrahman; Prof Ibrahim Adamu Yakasai as Keynote Speakers respectively. We are planning for Pharm Aliyu Jibrin to deliver the 2020 edition on 23rd of July, 2020.
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The Pharmacists in Nigeria will miss, not only those of us in Kaduna. His niece, Pharm (Hajiya) Umma Salihijjo was very close to him. His house was always opened to me and Pharm Aliyu Jibrin whom I always called to join me. We called that mentoring and we have missed the greatest mentor that was ever to be for Pharmacists in the country and especially in Kaduna State.
May forgive his shortcomings, multiply the rewards of his many good deeds and make Al-Jannah Firdausi his permanent abode in paradise, Amin.
– Ahmed Tijjani Mora mni (Wakilin Maganin Zazzau) is the national president, ABU Alumni Association
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