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Tag: Prof. Ibrahim Garba

  • CBN spends N6bn on ABU Business School

    CBN spends N6bn on ABU Business School

    The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) spent about N6 billion to establish a business school in the Ahmadu Bello University (ABU), Zaria, Kaduna.

    The university’s Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Ibrahim Garba, made this known on Saturday at ABU’s 40th convocation ceremony held at its main campus, Samaru, Zaria.

    Garba said that the business school had begun as a faculty, covering Accounting, Business Administration and Economics Departments.

    The vice said that the development gave room for expansion of the departments and introduction of related academic programmes.

    He said that the ABU’s Faculty of Medicine had been transformed into ABU College of Health Sciences and headed by a provost.

    “The college has taken off with four faculties of Basic Clinical Sciences, Clinical Sciences, Basic Medical Sciences and Allied Health Sciences.

    “Along with this development is the commencement of three new academic programmes beginning from 2017/2018 session.

    “These are Bachelor of Dental Surgery, Bachelor of Medical Laboratory Sciences and B.Sc. Medical Radiography,” he said.

    The vice-chancellor said that the university had introduced e-learning methodology in academic delivery to tackle growth in the number of students.

    Garba said that the e-learning was in line with developments in pedagogy and technology.

    Read Also: Why Nigerian varsities can’t be among world best – ABU VC

    He said that ABU last year introduced four additional courses in its Department of Mechanical Engineering.

    He said that the university had continued to improve and expand the existing facilities for teaching and research within the limit of available resources.

    Garba said that the university was using Tertiary Education Trust Fund and Presidential Need Assessment Intervention Fund to execute the projects.

    The Group Managing Director of NNPC, Dr Maikanti Kachalla-Baru, said at the occasion that he was impressed by the performance of 50 of the graduating students who had first class degree in different fields.

    He announced NNPC’s scholarship up to PhD level for the overall best student with Grade Point Average (GPA) of 4.93, Mr  Al-Amin Bashir-Bugaje from Electrical Engineering Department.

    “NNPC will sponsor him fully to wherever he wants to study in this world up to PhD. Level,” he said.

    Kamchatka-Baru said that NNPC had been at the forefront of fostering education in Nigeria.

    Earlier in an address of welcome, the ABU Chancellor, Igwe Nnaemeka Achebe, said: “Since my installation as the Chancellor of this university on Nov. 1, 2015, I have found this university to be vibrant and promising.

    “It has enormous human and material resources and a number of specialised research institutes, particularly agro-based ones.

    “These institutes include the Institute for Agricultural Research, National Animal Production Research Institute and National Agricultural Extension and Research Liaison Services.’’

    He said that the institutes had over the years made significant contributions to the agricultural sector of the Nigerian economy.

  • ABU: N250m Lakeview Golf Course to be constructed on campus

    ABU: N250m Lakeview Golf Course to be constructed on campus

    The Ahmadu Bello University (ABU), Zaria on Saturday began the construction of its N250 million Lakeview Golf Course on the campus, the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports.

    Speaking at the ground breaking ceremony, which was held in the main campus in Samaru, the Chancellor of the institution, Obi of Onitsha, Nnaemeka Ugochukwu-Achebe, said sports has become big business that could generate massive revenue for organizations such as the ABU.

    While describing sports as a big factor for national cohesion, Ugochukwu-Achebe said: “Golf is the premier of all sports which can be played from childhood to the end of one’s life.

    “Golf is inexpensive, it is a gentleman’s game which is played without personal contact and it is civilised and non damaging.

    “The motivation in Golf, is that if you don’t do well today, you can come back tomorrow to improve on it,” he noted.

    In his speech, the Pro-Chancellor, AVM Tukur Sa’ad (Rtd) described Golf as a challenging game that does not restrict based on age, race or status.

    He encouraged both staff and students of the university to endeavour to register with the new golf club to broaden their horizon.

    Sa’ad assured that by the time the project was accomplished, it would be one of the best in Nigeria.

    The Emir of Dutse, Alhaji Muhammadu Nuhu-Sanusi, a veteran golfer, also observed that ABU was blessed to be one of the first universities in Nigeria to own a golf course.

    “There are lots of opportunities for students to become professional golfers, I will pay personal attention to the actualisation of this golf course.”

    Earlier, the  Vice Chancellor, Prof. Ibrahim Garba, said lack of knowledge about the game has hindered its rapid acceptance by people.

    He said the university was interested in promoting the game considering the fact that it was  for the elderly, middle age and the young.

  • Melaye graduated with third class in ABU – VC

    Melaye graduated with third class in ABU – VC

    The Vice Chancellor of the Ahmadu Bello University (ABU), Prof. Ibrahim Garba, on Monday told the Senate Committee on Ethics, Privileges and Public Petition that the senator representing Kogi West in the upper legislative chamber, Dino Melaye, graduated with a third class degree in Geography from the institution in 2000.

    The vice chancellor told the Samuel Anyanwu –led committee that Melaye was a student of the institution with the name Jonah Daniel Melaye.

    Prof. Garba, who was invited to the venue of the hearing before Melaye spoke, was asked by lawmakers if the senator graduated from the institution.

    An online medium, SaharaReporters, had reported last week that Melaye did not graduate from ABU.

    It claimed that the Kogi-born senator allegedly bribed his Head of Department (HOD) to forge his transcript.

     

     

  • Recession:Nigeria requires effective agricultural extension – VC

    Recession:Nigeria requires effective agricultural extension – VC

    The Vice-Chancellor, Ahmadu Bello University (ABU), Zaria on Wednesday said Nigeria required effective agricultural extension service to get out of present economic recession.

    Prof. Ibrahim Garba, made the disclosure at the opening ceremony of 2016 National Agricultural Extension Review Meeting.

    The three-day meeting was held at the National Agricultural Extension Research and Liaison Services (NAERLS), Samaru, Zaria, Kaduna State.

    The V-C, who was represented by Prof. Ezra Bako-Amos, Deputy Vice-Chancellor, Academics, said: “I believe that effective agricultural extension is a sure strategy in charting our way out of economic recession.

    “The global reduction in oil price, the self-inflicted reduction in crude oil production capacity and the fall in the value of Naira have all contributed to putting Nigeria in a serious economic crisis.

    “Agriculture has been identified as a way out of the crisis through increasing the production of food and cash crops and guaranteeing national food security,” he said.

    Garba also said that for Nigeria to be food secured, the pivotal role of agricultural extension services in improving agricultural production and productivity must not be undermined.

    According to him, there is no better time to discuss Nigeria agriculture than now, because, some of the recent news about food security in Nigeria paint gloomy pictures of poverty and hunger.

    “Inflation rate rose from 9.6 percent in January 2016 to 18.3 percent in October 2016.”

    In his speech, the NAERLS Director, Prof. Mohammed Khalid-Othman said the service has remained the foremost institute for agricultural extension research and capacity development in Nigeria.

    “Based on that, we have been partnering with all stakeholders in the agricultural value chain and extension delivery to plan and implement extension activities in the country.

    “You could recall, every year about this time, we hold this meeting to deliberate on agricultural extension issues and chart a cause of action,” he said.

    Khalid-Othman recalled that the Federal Government in August this year launched a road map on agriculture, known as “Green Alternative for Promotion of Agriculture from 2016-2020”.

    “This roadmap is aimed at diversifying the economy through agricultural sector due to unlimited potentials, the need to create jobs for the teeming population of youth and the huge and unsustainable food importation bills.

    “I wish to inform you that NAERLS with its national mandate on an agricultural extension is at the core centre of implementation of this roadmap.

    “This is by training of hundreds of unemployed youths on skills in agricultural production, income generation and extension delivery services.

    “The most recent one is the training of unemployed youths in Gombe State on Agricultural Advisory Service Delivery,” he said.

    The meeting drew participants from Agricultural Development Programmes, seed companies, farmers’ associations as well as other stakeholders in the industry across Nigeria.

  • ABU gets new Vice Chancellor

    ABU gets new Vice Chancellor

    The Governing Council of the Ahmadu Bello University (ABU) Zaria, Kaduna State, has announced the appointment of Prof. Ibrahim Garba as the new Vice Chancellor of the institution.

    Announcing the appointment, Chairman of the council, Muhammad Dewu, said Garba emerged as the new vice chancellor after “a rigorous and transparent selection process’’.

    According to him, Prof. Garba came first out of the 24 other professors that contested the post following a two-day interview conducted by a panel set up by the council.

    The new VC takes over the affairs of the university in May when the tenure of the incumbent, Prof. Abdullahi Mustapha, will end.

    Born on Feb. 25, 1957 in Riruwai, Doguwa Local Government Area of Kano State, Garba had his first degree (B.Sc. Geology) in 1980 and a second degree (M.Sc. Mineral Exploration) in 1985 at the Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria.

    He earned Ph.D (Geology) in 1993 at the University of London but had earlier obtained a Diploma in Mineral Studies at the Royal School of Mines, Imperial College of Science, Technology and Medicine, London, in 1992.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Garba is an Adviser to the Republic of Guinea, supervising the implementation of mining sector reforms.

    Prof. Garba worked on secondment at the Federal Ministry of Mines and Steel Development, Abuja as Director-General, Nigeria Mining Cadastre Office.

    He Spear-headed the development and implementation of the Mining Cadastre System in Nigeria.