By: Shafihi Abdulrasheed
Saturday 8th November, 2025 witnessed the convocation ceremony of Mallam Lukman Olayiwola Mustapha as a Doctor of Philosophy in Business Management from Baze University, Abuja. For those who know LOM, this achievement surprises no one. Excellence, after all, is not an occasional visitor in his house—it is the permanent resident, the stubborn tenant who refuses to leave.
I remember my days as an undergraduate at the University of Ilorin, pursuing Sociology with the enthusiasm of youth and the anxiety of examinations. At the end of each semester, when results descended like verdicts from an invisible court, I would share my grades with Mallam Lukman.
Most mentors would nod approvingly at a B grade. Not Mallam Lukman.
“Why B here?” he would ask, his voice carrying that peculiar mix of curiosity and challenge. “Why not A?”
“Why C here? Why not A?”
He was relentless in his pursuit of my potential. He would tell me stories of his own student days, how he scored ‘As’ with the regularity of a metronome keeping time. To me, that was gentle reminders—if he could do it, so could I.
Knowing that I would share my results with him became its own form of preparation. I studied not just for the examination hall but for that inevitable conversation. That, perhaps, was his greatest lesson: accountability sharpens excellence.
If you have ever sat with Mallam Lukman for a discussion, debate, or proposal, you know one fundamental truth: never arrive unprepared. He possesses an inquisitiveness that borders on the surgical. He will dissect your argument, examine its organs, and ask why the liver is where the kidney should be.
This intellectual restlessness, this perpetual hunger for understanding, is what propelled him toward this PhD—even after a distinguished career in the banking industry that would have satisfied most mortals. One might even ask: what does this man need a PhD for?
But that question misunderstands the man. For Mallam Lukman, learning is not about need. It is about being. It is the air he breathes.
I recall a visit my dear friend Sambo Bashir and I made to Mallam Lukman in Abuja. We were freshly graduated dudes, carrying our Second Class Upper Division degrees like medals of honour. The discussion we were having was not central to academics. But my man took a surprising U-turn.
“What class of degree did you graduate with?” he asked.
“Second Class Upper, sir,” we replied with some pride.
“Why not First Class?”
We looked at each other. “Ah!” we chorused, as if the question itself was an impossibility.
“How many First Class graduates were in your set?” he pressed.
“None, sir.”
He smiled then, that knowing smile of his. “That means you were among the best in your class.”
We laughed, relieved, and moved on to other topics. But the lesson lingered: always measure yourself against your highest potential, not your peer’s average performance.
On the 8th of October, 2025, I attended an exclusive meeting in Abuja. Among the attendees was a gentleman I was meeting for the first time. As discussions progressed, he began referencing Mallam Lukman’s brilliance and expertise—how he had transformed the Federal Mortgage Bank during his tenure as Executive Director of Loans and Mortgage Services. How he reshaped operations. How he gave a new face to the bank.
I listened quietly, pride swelling in my chest like a balloon.
Before we concluded, I leaned over and said, “The man you speak of is my mentor.”
His eyes widened. Surprise gave way to respect, and respect gave way to friendship. That is the power of association with excellence—it opens doors you didn’t know existed.
Now, Mallam Lukman Olayiwola Mustapha stands as Dr. Mustapha—an affirmation to industriousness, a monument to commitment, a living proof that excellence is not an accident but a deliberate choice repeated daily.
Simple, coolheaded and classic. That is his style. And that’s why nobody doubted his recent laurel.
So, sir, I say this with the humility of a student and the affection of a friend: Congratulations. May this PhD be not the peak but another plateau in your endless climb toward knowledge. May your inquisitiveness never dull. May your demand for ‘As’ never soften. May you continue to disturb the comfortable and comfort the disturbed.
And sir, permit me this small jest: very soon, I am equally coming. After all, you taught me that ‘Bs’ and ‘Cs’ are simply unfinished ‘As’ waiting for more effort.
The harvest is yours today. Tomorrow, by your grace and God’s mercy, I too shall reap.
I doff my hat, D-Doc!
Shafihi Abdulrasheed Oladimeji
A Grateful Mentee
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