One of the greatest legacies bequeathed
to Northern Nigeria and by extension, the entire nation by the late Sir Ahmadu
Bello Sardauna of Sokoto is the Ahmadu Bello University Zaria aptly and deservedly
named after him. Established in the year
1962, this great institution has served as a great citadel of learning,
research as well as a veritable source of highly-qualified manpower not only
for the region but for the country as a whole. From a humble beginning at
inception with about 15 departments and 426 students, today the institution
boasts of 12 faculties, 82 departments, a student population of over 50,000 and
a post-graduate school, among many other such lofty attainments.
One of the major achievements of the
institution is that it has succeeded in bringing higher education to the
doorstep of the average Northern Nigerian. This is no mean achievement
especially when considered against the backdrop of the wide educational gap
between the Northern and Southern part of the country at independence. Also as a Federal institution, ABU has
accommodated and nurtured many students from other parts of the country thus further
entrenching the Nigerian spirit in our youth.
Secondly as mentioned in the
introductory paragraph of this piece ABU has played a critical role in
providing the Northern region and indeed Nigeria with highly trained manpower. The number of professionals produced by the
giant institution that have carved a niche for themselves in different spheres of
human endeavor cannot be quantified. For instance, the institution has produced
accomplished doctors, lawyers, engineers, architects, poets and vets among many
other such professionals that have put Nigeria’s name on the global map of
their respective professions. In
addition to this, the institution today arguably stands out as the highest single
producer of current high profile political office holders in the country. By
way of roll call, it was ABU that produced Vice President Namadi Sambo, and
Governors Patrick Ibrahim Yakowa, Ibrahim Shema, Usman Saidu Dakingari, Isa
Yuguda, Umaru Tanko Almakura, Ibrahim Geidam and Ibrahim Dankwambo. The institution also produced former
governors Donald Duke, Bukar Abba Ibrahim, Kabir Gaya, Ahmed Mohammed Makarfi,
Ahmed Adamu Muazu and Ibrahim Shekarau.
Furthermore through its specialized
research institutes ABU has played a very important role in advancing the frontiers
of knowledge and finding time-tested solutions to problems with far reaching
effects on the scientific, technological, economic, political, and
socio-cultural development of the country.
For instance, the firebrand ABU intellectual tradition as carried on by
the institutions’ outstanding scholars in the mould of the likes of Abdullahi
Smith, Patrick Wilmot, Dr. Bala Usman, to mention but a few cannot be
discountenanced when discussing the country’s socio-political evolution over
the years. Also through years of
rigorous agricultural researches, great discoveries have been made that significantly
contributed to the transformation of our hitherto basically subsistent agricultural
system which forms the bedrock of the Northern economy into a fairly modern one.
Moreover through its post-graduate
school, ABU has created a window for higher academic attainments for aspiring individuals
which give further boost to professionalism and specialization in chosen
academic fields. Apart from graduates of other universities who find themselves
within its catchment, graduates of other higher institutions such as
polytechnics also get the opportunity through the PG School to broaden their
academic horizon by aspiring for higher degrees in their fields of
specialization. Through this, the
institution greatly assists the region’s governmental, non-governmental and
private organisations in meeting not only their middle level but also high-level
manpower needs.
Having highlighted some of the great
achievements of this equally great institution it is now pertinent to turn our
attention to some of the most critical challenges bedeviling it and how they
can be surmounted. In its recent ranking
of African Universities for 2012 released in July for instance, Webometrics,
the online ranking agency, ranked ABU 76th out of 100 leading
African Universities with mostly South African Universities taking the
lead. Other Nigerian Universities that
made it to the first 100 list include the University of Ibadan 45th,
Ilorin 47th, Unilag 55th, UNN 64th, OAU 79th,
and Jos 88th! Whatever the
shortcomings of the Webometric’s ranking criteria, this situation certainly
calls for sober reflection as it shows clearly that our Universities are not
favourably competing even in Africa let alone the entire globe!
In
the first place one of the major problems confronting ABU as an institution is
underfunding. Because of the growing popularity of the institution among
prospective undergraduate and postgraduate students and its ever-growing size,
existing structures are been overstretched while many are outrightly obsolete.
There is no gainsaying the fact that for the institution to favourably compete with
its peers both at home and abroad there is the need to upgrade its research and
learning facilities as well as its human capital to become up to date with
global academic standards. This position was put more succinctly by the
Institution’s Vice Chancellor who in a recent outing stated thus “ABU needs
funds to replace and rehabilitate decaying infrastructure, teaching and
research facilities. We also know that great universities are those supported
by their alumni. A clear example is Harvard which is one of the richest
universities in the world on the grounds that it receives over $50 billion as
endowment fund from its alumni. I expect our alumni to emulate the
BlackBerry founder who has alone donated over $250 million to his Alma Mata,
Waterloo University. And with such support from our alumni, ABU will transform”.
With the caliber of ABU alumni some of
whom were mentioned in the earlier part of this piece, I personally see no
reason why ABU should starve. The alumni must see it as a personal challenge to
come to their Alma Mata’s rescue especially at this very critical moment in its
history. It is also pertinent to call on
especially Northern state governments who have immensely benefitted from
Sardauna’s foresight to come to the rescue of one of his most enduring and
beneficial legacies that remains the very pride of the region. If for no other reason else, they must be eternally
indebted to the institution whose products largely form the bedrock of their civil
service all these years.
Also the ABU authorities on their own
part must look into other areas of alternative funding. Nothing, for instance, stops
the University from floating an institutional bond to raise long-term funds to
finance its capital projects. Also in
deciding on such projects consideration must be given to provision of income-yielding
assets that will serve as veritable source of continuous funding for the
institution.
One last thing: ABU and other legacies
of the great northern icon Sir Ahmadu Bello, like the Kaduna Polytechnic, Radio
Nigeria Kaduna, ABU Teaching Hospital, Ahmadu Bello Stadium among many others
should serve as living examples of what can be achieved with purposeful
leadership. Thus, our current crop of
leaders who immensely benefitted from the foresight of the great legend must
take a cue by initiating and executing meaningful projects that will outlive
them and cast their names in gold. The
Sardauna example has shown clearly that leadership is not about amassing illegal
wealth neither is it about driving in convoy of flashy cars nor living in state-of-the-art
mansions. No, it is about service!
Long Live ABU!
