The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Bayero University

  • Bayero University appoints WOFAN founder as chairperson CDA sectoral/industry advisory board

    Bayero University appoints WOFAN founder as chairperson CDA sectoral/industry advisory board

    The Centre for Drylands Agriculture (CDA), Bayero University, Kano (BUK), has appointed Hajia (Dr.) Salamatu Garba, Founder and Executive Board Chair of WOFAN Group, as the Chairperson of its Sectoral/Industry Advisory Board.

    The appointment, which is for an initial three-year term, recognises Dr. Garba’s outstanding leadership and extensive expertise in agricultural development, particularly her long-standing commitment to improving the livelihoods of women and youth. 

    She is widely known for her passion and persistence in promoting the transformation of subsistence farming into agripreneurship among young women and youths in Nigeria and beyond.

    Dr. Garba has devoted decades to empowering women and young people across dryland communities, contributing significantly to sustainable agricultural development at both national and international levels. 

    Her wealth of experience and visionary leadership are expected to strengthen collaboration between academia and industry, drive innovation, and advance sustainable agricultural practices within dryland ecosystems.

    The appointment is seen as a strategic move by the CDA to deepen industry engagement and enhance the practical impact of its research and capacity-building initiatives.

    WOFAN Group has congratulated Dr. Garba on the appointment, expressing confidence that her tenure will be impactful and contribute meaningfully to the advancement of dryland agriculture and inclusive agribusiness development.

  • Keystone Bank realigns to energise growth, appoints new EDs

    The Board of Directors of Keystone Bank Limited has announced the appointment of three new Executive Directors.

    At its 49th, Annual General Meeting held in Lagos, the Board approved the appointments of Tijjani Aliyu, Olaniran Olayinka and Lawal J. Ahmed  as Executive Directors, subject to the approval of the Central Bank Of Nigeria (CBN).

    A statement by the Divisional Head, Marketing & Corporate Communications of the bank, Mrs. Omobolanle Osotule, made available to journalists on Monday, said that the three new executive directors will join the executive management office to pursue and deliver on the bank’s strategic business objectives bringing to bear their in-depth wealth of banking experience garnered over the years across various sectors.

    Commenting on the development, the Chairman of Keystone Bank, Alhaji Umaru H. Modibbo, noted the promotion of the three former General Managers to Executive Directors is in line with the bank’s corporate governance and culture of maximising her human capital through consistent leadership development and training.

    ‘’Since we restructured, we have intentionally and proactively nurtured our talent in readiness for future leadership opportunities that will arise in the organisation.

    “It is therefore a major feat for us that we were able to appoint the three new Executive directors from our internally groomed executives’’ said Modibbo.

    Tijjani holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Economics from Bayero University, Kano and an MBA from the Bangor Business School, UK.

    His experience spans over two decades in both regulatory and top financial institutions in Nigeria.

    He is a member of various professional bodies and has attended various courses within and outside Nigeria including INSEAD Business School and the US Federal Reserve Bank in Washington.

    He is a consummate Risk professional and a member of Risk Managers Association of Nigeria (RIMAN), Chartered Institute of Bankers (ACIB, HCIB).

    His experience in the financial services sector covers operations, treasury, Banking Supervision, Finance, Mergers and Acquisitions, and Risk Management.

    Until his elevation, he was the Chief Risk officer of Keystone Bank.

    Read Also: Keystone Bank MD quits

    Olaniran holds a First Class Bachelor’s degree and a Master’s Degree in Economics from the prestigious University of Lagos.

    He has attended several executive courses and programs in Banking Operations, Credit, Risk Management, Business Process Re-engineering, Change Management amongst others.

    He had a four- year stint with PricewaterhouseCoopers and 25 years banking experience covering Operations, Human Resources Management, Corporate Banking, Commercial Banking, Retail Banking and Institutional Banking.

    Until his elevation, he was the Regional Head Corporate Bank and West, Keystone Bank Limited.

    On his part, Lawal, holds an LL.B Degree from the University of Jos, and an LL.M Degree from University of Dundee, United Kingdom.

    He has over 19 years post-call experience that cuts across Legal Practice, Banking Regulation, Process Improvement, Conflict Resolution, Project Management and Regulatory Compliance.

    He is a Fellow of the Compliance Institute of Nigeria (FCIN) and has attended top global educational and professional institutions including the London School of Economics (LSE), UNESCO-IHE, Institute for Water Management Delft, Netherlands, the Clingendael Institute for International Relations, Den Haag, Netherlands, US Federal Reserve,Washington DC, USA and Financial Stability Institute of the Bank for International Settlements. Until his elevation, he was the Chief Compliance Officer of Keystone Bank Limited.

    Keystone Bank is a technology and service-driven commercial bank offering convenient and reliable solutions to its customers.

  • BUK gets 36 professors, 40 associates

    Bayero University, Kano (BUK) has approved the promotion of 36 professors and 40 associate professors.

    A statement signed by the University Registrar and Secretary to the Council, Hajiya Fatima Binta Mohammed, noted that all appointments took effect from October 2018.

    It said the 13th Governing Council of the institution at its 6th regular meeting held on Thursday, March 7, 2019 approved the appointment.

    “The 13th Governing Council of Bayero University, Kano at its 6th regular meeting approved the promotion of 36 professors, 40 associate professors and 8 non-teaching staff to the ranks of Deputy Registrars, Deputy Bursar, Deputy Directors and Assistant Chief Technician,” the statement said in parts.

    Among the newly promoted professors are:   Basheer Abdulkadir Zubair Chedi (Professor of Pharmacology and Therapeutics); Musa Aliyu (Professor of Pharmacology); and BUK ASUU Chairman, Ibrahim Magaji Barde (Professor of Accounting).

    Others are Prof Kabiru Tahir Hamid (Accounting and Finance); Ahmad Magaji (Nigerian Languages) and Ya’u Haruna Usman, who is now Professor of Adult Education.

    Three of the 40 new professors are women.  They are Prof Dije Muhammad Sulaiman (Accounting); Prof Hannatu Sabo Ahmad (Accounting), and Prof Amina Mustapha (Agric Economics and Extension), who is the Deputy Director, Outreach and Publications of the Centre for Dryland Agriculture (CDA).

    Also promoted to the rank of Professor are: Abubakar Jika Jiddare (International Relations); Lofty-John Chukwuemeka Anyanwu (Surgery); Emmanuel Kolo (Otorhinolaryngology); and Muhammed Haruna Awaisu (Sociology).

  • TETFund: an account of excellent stewardship under Baffa

    I can bet that not many know about the core responsibilities of the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund), especially those outside the academia. But for the academics, TETFund has remained a life saver with its numerous interventions. TETFund as an agency is championing a more improved infrastructural and educational development in our Ivory towers.
    As a start, the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund) was established as an intervention agency under the TETFund ACT – Tertiary Education Trust Fund Act, 2011; charged with the responsibility for managing, disbursing and monitoring the education tax to public tertiary institutions in Nigeria. TETFund ensures that funds generated from education tax are utilized to improve the quality of education in Nigeria. This much it has engaged in, but this time around, with so much vigour.
    As an academic, I am one of those that were of the opinion that the interventions of TETFund in public universities have been phenomenal given its strategic importance on the development of critical human and physical infrastructures. I must add that for the years I have been in the academia, I haven’t seen such a time as now where TETFund has been proactively and aggressively churning out interventions that have positive impacts in ways too numerous to mention.

    Read Also:TETFund adds 14 new institutions to its intervention list

    I wasn’t surprised, to say the least for the fact that I knew Dr. Abdullahi Bichi-Baffa, the Executive Secretary way back in my days in Bayero University Kano as a doctoral student. I interacted with him on some issues, and I must add that his profound insights into the challenges confronting public universities then were astonishing. He displayed such aura of a core administrator with a penchant for thinking outside the box. So in a way, I wasn’t surprised by his exploits at TETFund.
    Take it or leave it, Dr. Baffa-Bichi is not that conservative chap that limited his horizon to the four walls of the classrooms alone. He is such a chap that is innovative and never afraid to take a risk. His intellectual abilities resonate whenever he engages in conversations. He is daring and always ready to go. Little wonder on how he has transformed the operations of TETFund in less than three years? I will give an example of one of his innovative approaches.
    In 2018 alone, TETFund completed 189 physical infrastructure projects in universities, polytechnics, and colleges of education across the country. It also granted a total of 3247 scholarships to Nigerian lecturers for masters and Ph.D. programmes in Nigerian and foreign universities. It also established National Research Laboratories to serve as centres for specialized research in various parts of the country. That is the quintessential Dr. Baffa-Bichi
    Let me also state this. Dr. Abdullahi Baffa-Bichi is one hell of a control freak. His is such that nothing but the best must be done. His style of administration is one that is so transparent that it has endeared him to the hearts of the workers of the organization. This much he tells anyone that cares to listen. He often would say that as a leader, one must be transparent and accountable to the public trust. This much was confirmed by the Presidential Action Committee Against Corruption (PACAC), headed by Prof, Itse Sagay, when it recently applauded the management of TETFund for the level of transparency and accountability it has applied to the day-to-day running of the organization.
    What does this tell us? It says a lot about the strength of character of Dr. Abdullahi Baffa-Bichi and resolve to dispense quality services in his place of national assignment. Some reading might be wondering why I am all over town heaping praises on him. The reason is that, through the intervention of TETFund, physical infrastructures in public universities has improved tremendously. Also, the quality of human resources has also improved through sponsorship programmes for masters and PhDs, as well as international conferences and seminars that have exposed most university lecturers a great deal.
    In some quarters, it has been stated the coming of Dr. Baffa-Bichi indeed saved the Fund from an imminent disaster with the activities of middlemen between TETFund and beneficiaries. And also the fact that now, all TETFund projects are closely monitored for quality assurance purposes, is an indication of accountability and service delivery.
    The story of Dr. Abdullahi Baffa-Bichi and his exploits at TETFund can’t be told in a day, as a fact, it can come on a documentary titled the “silent upbeat in TETFund.” In my opinion, the likes of Dr. Abdulahi Baffa-Bichi are rare, and if a fraction of public office holders displays such commitment to duty, Nigeria would indeed be a better place.  The TETFund story is one worthy of emulation. It can be termed an amalgamation of purpose, drive, commitment, sincerity, and capacity.
    And I think he deserves all the encouragements he can get to continue to deliver the best at TETFund. This much he is receiving from the academia already. But the larger community needs to join the fray because we are all involved in one way of the other.
    Agbese wrote from the United Kingdom.

  • Expert decries shortage of skilled manpower

    Despite some progress in agriculture, shortage of skills remains a barrier for development in the sector,the Director, Centre for Dryland Agriculture (CDA), Bayero University, Kano (BUK), Prof. Jibrin  M. Jibrin has said.

    Decrying  serious shortage of skilled manpower, Jibrin said  it has continued to retard agricultural   development across the country.

    He stated this in kano while briefing reporters on activities lined up for the third International Conference on Drylands to be hosted by CDA between September 24 and 27,  in the university.

    According to him, the biennial international conference is one of CDA’s  programmes  that provides a platform for dissemination of research findings, networking and sharing of experiences between scientists, practitioners and other stakeholders.

    He said the theme of the Conference: Resource Constraints, Conflicts and Changing Climate in the Drylands: Options for Attaining SDGs, remains apt, “because attaining the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in the drylands requires concerted efforts towards addressing myriads of problems related to climate change, high population pressure, and unsustainable land use practices.

    “These are the underlining issues that lead to further degradation of land, low agricultural productivity, food and nutrition insecurity, severe poverty, conflicts and civil unrests.”

    Jubrin added that part of issues to be discussed at the conference include crops and animal improvement for adaptation to climate change; crop-livestock integration for improved income and food security.Others are  integrated soil fertility management in a changing environment; rangeland and pasture development: the future of pastoralism in sub-Saharan Africa and  ecosystem.

    The conference will also look at issues such as water use and conflicts; application of decision support systems in dryland resource management; millennial and agripreneureship for sustained economic growth; and agricultural financing and politics for sustainable development.

    He further stated that, “This year’s conference will bring together scientists, farmers, policy makers, civil society organisations and the private sector from across the globe to examine how the SDGs would be attained in the drylands in the face of resource scarcity, climate change and emerging conflicts.

    “The conference will examine how public policies, research and development programmes will contribute in ensuring food security and attainment of the SDGs. There will all be about 70 paper presentations and  a special session on the project Taking Maize Agronomy to Scale in Africa (TAMASA)”.

  • Honourary degree not for sale- BUK VC

    …As 8, 634 Graduate

     

    The Vice Chancellor of Bayero University, Kano ( BUK ), Prof. Muhammad Yahuza Bello yesterday said the university Senate and Governing Council have decided not to award honourary degree to personalities in the 34th convocation ceremony scheduled to come up next week, declaring that such award is not for sale.

    Prof. Yahuza Bello during a pre-convocation press briefing at the University Senate Chamber said that, “going by the rule of the university, anybody who ask for Honourary Degree from BUK is automatically disqualified. It is not for sale. A number of people have approached us directly or indirectly, but we turned down their request.”

    He added that, “the University Senate and Governing Council have decided not to award any honourary degree this year. This is not because there are no persons deserving of the honour, indeed, there are so many.

    “In order to maintain the very high value and honour associated with such degrees, Bayero University Senate and Council have been limiting the number of honorees, and the years when such awards are made.”

    However, he disclosed that BUK is to award various degrees and post graduate diplomas to 8, 634 graduands, with 72 First Class graduates, including 5, 401first degrees, 70, PhDs 1, 833 Masters Degrees and 656 Post Graduate diploma certificates.

    According to him, in line with international best practices, the convocation ceremony is spread from April 3 to April 7, adding that on Friday, April 6, the convocation lecture with the theme: Leadership, Security, Democracy, and Development Challenges in Africa: Reflections by a Scholar-Diplomat, would be delivered by the Pro-Chancellor of the University and former Permanent Representatives to the United Nnations, Prof. Ibrahim Agboola Gambari, under the chairmanship of Ambassador Alhaji Shehu Malami (Sarkin Sudan).

    He further noted that, “in the last one year, all the programmes presented by the University for accreditation by regulatory and professional bodies have secured full accreditation. The most recent are 15 undergraduate and eight postgraduate programmes that secured full accreditation status from the National University Commission (NUC).”

    Prof. Yahuza Bello further stated that, “the University has also maintained its tradition of inclusiveness and of being cosmopolitan in nature.

    “About 8, 600 newly admitted undergraduate students were inducted into the BUK family last week. It may interest you to note that these new students come from each and every state of the Federation (including the Federal Capital Territory), as well as from some foreign countries.”

    He listed challenges facing the university to include scarcity of water, lack of adequate funding and inability of students to pay registration fees.

  • Workers get rice as strike dulls activities at BUK, UNILAG

    Non-academic activities at the University of Lagos (UNILAG) and Bayero University, Kano (BUK) have been suspended as all the non-academic members of staff of the universities obeyed the call by their national unions to embark on a nationwide industrial action which started Monday.

    Since then, members of the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU), National Association for Academic Technology (NAAT) and Non-Academic Staff Union (NASU) of both institutions, under the Joint Action Committee (JAC), have only held meetings or forced their colleagues out of offices in a bid to enforce the strike.

    When The Nation visited BUK campus on Monday, our reporter saw SSANU leaders distributing bags of Rice and gallons of vegetable oil to members as palliative measures against the strike.

    SSANU Chairman, Comrade Haruna Aliyu said the strike was in the best interest of the public, workers and the education system and should not be misconstrued for personal and selfish interest.

    “We have no option than to join our counterparts to press home our demands from the federal government who have deliberately refused to meet our 10-point demands even after we embarked on warning strike,” Haruna said.

    As at the time of filing this report, the university had been deserted by students, lecturers, and non-academic staff while shops shut their businesses on campus.

    At UNILAG, the Senate building, centre of the institution’s administration, was empty on Tuesday.

    Security personnel stationed at the entrance of the building as well as the NASU, SSANU and NAAT members were on ground to make sure that no activity went on in the building.

    Olugbenga Adenaya, Vice Chairman of SSANU, UNILAG branch, said they were there to monitor the strike to make sure that members complied.

    He said the Federal Government had been paying N333.33k for allowance but the agreement was N15,000 for junior workers and N30,000 for senior workers, which had not been effected.

    Comrade Ganiyu Adelagun Adeshina, NASU Chairman, said that the government was not bothered about the welfare of its workers.

    Comrade Ajibade Kehinde NASU Chairman, UNILAG said; “we want the Federal Government to face its responsibilities and face the affected universities.”

    He also said that the Federal Government sent a memo to the staff school teachers’ name to be removed from the payroll and that the Federal Government was taken to court and was asked to return the list of the staff school teachers back to its payroll but they are yet to comply.

    Comrade Suleiman Lawal, Chairman of National Association of Academic Technologists (NAAT), said representatives of the committee of vice-chancellor, budget office, office of the Secretary of the Federal Government of Nigeria, Salary and Wages Commission, the Federal Ministry of Education and NUC were present during the agreement.

     

  • NUC accredits 25 programmes for BUK

    NUC accredits 25 programmes for BUK

    The National Universities Commission (NUC) has accredited no fewer than 25 programmes for Bayero University, Kano (BUK)in 2016.

    This is contained in a statement signed by the Director, Public Affairs of the University Mr Ahmad Shehu and made available to News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Kano on Saturday.

    According to the statement, the programmes that were granted full accreditation by the Commission cut across 10 faculties in the University.

    “This was contained in a summary of results of the November-December, 2016 national accreditation exercise conducted by the Commission.

    “The report was signed by the NUC’s Director, Quality Assurance, Dr. N.B.Saliu,” the statement said.

    The statement recalled that between November and December, 2016, the National Universities Commission had despatched a powerful accreditation team to Bayero University, Kano along with other universities with the sole aim of examining some of its programmes.

    The team visited 10 faculties including Agriculture, Arts and Islamic Studies, Basic Medical Sciences, Education, and Engineering.

    Others were: Science, Law, Social and Management Sciences and Communication.

    “At the end of the exercise, the team prepared and submitted technical reports to its Quality Assurance Directorate and the summary of such reports released by the NUC showed that BUK had an excellent performance.

    “It was based on that performance that the University was able to secure full accreditation for all the 25 programmes visited by the accreditation team, with an average score of 86.7 per cent.

    “With the latest development, BUK has once again taken the lead position among Nigerian Universities with its performance in the 2016 NUC accreditation exercise.”the statement added.

  • NUC accredits 25 programmes for BUK in 2016

    NUC accredits 25 programmes for BUK in 2016

    The National Universities Commission (NUC) has accredited no fewer than 25 programmes for Bayero University, Kano (BUK) in 2016.

    This is contained in a statement signed by the Director, Public Affairs of the University Mr Ahmad Shehu and made available to News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Kano on Saturday.

    According to the statement, the programmes that were granted full accreditation by the Commission cut across 10 faculties in the University.

    “This was contained in a summary of results of the November-December, 2016 national accreditation exercise conducted by the Commission.

    “The report was signed by the NUC’s Director, Quality Assurance, Dr. N.B.Saliu,” the statement said.

    The statement recalled that between November and December, 2016, the National Universities Commission had despatched a powerful accreditation team to Bayero University, Kano along with other universities with the sole aim of examining some of its programmes.

    The team visited 10 faculties including Agriculture, Arts and Islamic Studies, Basic Medical Sciences, Education, and Engineering.

    Others were: Science, Law, Social and Management Sciences and Communication.

    “At the end of the exercise, the team prepared and submitted technical reports to its Quality Assurance Directorate and the summary of such reports released by the NUC showed that BUK had an excellent performance.

    “It was based on that performance that the University was able to secure full accreditation for all the 25 programmes visited by the accreditation team, with an average score of 86.7 per cent.

    “With the latest development, BUK has once again taken the lead position among Nigerian Universities with its performance in the 2016 NUC accreditation exercise.”the statement added.

  • Jigawa varsity gets new pro-chancellor

    Jigawa varsity gets new pro-chancellor

    Gov. Muhammad Badaru Abubakar of Jigawa has appointed Prof. Sa’idu Babura the Pro-Chancellor and Chairman, Governing Council of the Sule Lamido University, KafinHausa.

    This is contained in a statement issued by the Secretary to the State Government, Alhaji Adamu Abdulkadir, on Monday in Dutse.

    According to the statement, Babura is a Professor of Oral Literature with special interest on Northern Nigerian Literature.

    He is a former lecturer in the Department of English and French Languages, Bayero University, Kano.

    The statement also said that the governor appointed Dr Muhammad Isah the Chairman, Governing Council of the Binyaminu Usman Polytechnic, Hadejia.

    It noted that  Isah was the Deputy Dean, Faculty of Law, Bayero University, Kano, until the appointment.

    It added that the governor appointed Alhaji Muhammad Usman the Chairman, Governing Council of the College of Legal and Islamic Studies, Ringim.

    According to the statement, the governor also appointed Prof. Kabiru Isyaku a Member of the Governing  Council of the Sule Lamido University, KafinHausa.

    Isyaku, a Professor of Education, was formerly of the Department of Education, Bayero University, Kano.

    The statement said that all the appointments took immediate effect.