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Tag: ABU

  • Council approves appointment of new ABU VC

    Council approves appointment of new ABU VC

    The Governing Council of Ahmadu Bello University (ABU) has approved the appointment of Prof. Adamu Ahmed as the new Vice-Chancellor of the institution.

    This is contained in a statement issued by Malam Auwalu Umar, the Director of Public Affairs of the university on Wednesday in Zaria.

    The appointment of Ahmed, he said, was on Wednesday, after the 209th Special Council meeting, presided over by its Chairman, Alhaji Mahmud Yayale-Ahmed.

    NAN reports that in June 2024, President Bola Tinubu appointed Prof. Ahmed, a distinguished scholar of urban and regional planning, as the Pro-Chancellor and Chairman of the Governing Council of the Federal University of Education, Kano.

    Ahmed, an academic and administrator, has spent over three decades at the ABU, where he taught and mentored students.

    His academic journey began at ABU, where he earned his first, second, and PhD degrees.

    Ahmed has held various leadership positions, including Head of Urban and Regional Planning, Deputy Director of ABU Consultancy Services, and Director of the Directorate of University Advancement.

  • N2.5bn frozen account cripples ABU – VC

    N2.5bn frozen account cripples ABU – VC

    Ahmadu Bello University (ABU), Zaria, has decried costly legal battle and banishing of the sum of over N2.5 billion as major factors exerting pressure on effective running of the university.

    Prof. Kabir Bala, Vice-Chancellor of the university disclosed this at the 44th Convocation Ceremony held at Mamman Kontagora Square, ABUmain campus, Samaru, Zaria on Saturday.

    He noted that ABU like many other Nigerian universities face financial challenges to support its vision of sustaining and modernising its activities and operations.

    The V-C was particular about the order of the National Industrial Court which had ordered the university’s account with the Central Bank ganished in the sum of N2.585 billion.

    Bala noted with dismay that the affected account of the university contained third-party funds such as local and foreign research grants, funds belonging to units of the university that were affiliated to and supported by external organisations.

    The vice-chancellor added that the ganished account also contained funds meant for TETFUND projects, programmes and foreign scholars.

    He explained that as a result of the order all aspects of operations requiring complementation of certain expenditures such as sanitation, electricity and other forms of utilities were severely hampered.

    Bala therefore, called for greater collaboration among all stakeholders to fashion out more innovative ways of ensuring smooth running of the university.

    Earlier, the Pro-Chancellor and Chairman, Governing Council of the university, Alhaji Mahmud Yayale-Ahmed said the Nigeria university system was engulfed with challenges, involving funding, governance and management.

    Yayale-Ahmed advocated for financial independence and minimal bureaucratic interference towards ensuring that university remains a hub for intellectual discourse and innovation.

    In his remarks, the Chancellor of the university, Nnaemeka Alfred Achebe, the Obi of Onitsha tasked the graduands to leverage the 21st century as the age of digital and social revolution.

    According to the chancellor, technology has become the main access to almost all occupations, professions and vocations.

    Obi of Onitsha urged the graduands to be nimble on their feet, and be adoptable as they venture to seize the opportunities in 21st century technology.

    The 44th convocation ceremony celebrated 21,952 graduands for 2023/24 academic session. Of the total, 5,756 obtained postgraduate degrees, while 16,196 bagged bachelor degrees.

  • Fire guts Ahmadu Bello University’s Senate building

    Fire guts Ahmadu Bello University’s Senate building

    A section of Ahmadu Bello University’s Senate Building at the Samaru Main Campus, Zaria, has been gutted by fire, a statement has said.

    A small room housing an electrical Distribution Board (DB) at the ground floor of the Senate building was affected.

    Malam Auwalu Umar, the Director, Public Affairs Directorate of the university, confirmed the incident in a statement issued on Friday.

    Umar said the fire started around 4:15 p.m and its cause could not be immediately ascertained, adding that no injuries or casualties have been recorded.

    He added that the Distribution Board and some obsolete public address systems have been consumed by the fire.

    “The timely intervention of the University firefighters and security personnel saved the situation. In fact, power has since been restored to the building,” he said.

    The statement said that the Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Kabiru Bala, was at the scene of the incident along with some management staff and hundreds of sympathisers.

    Furthermore, the university management has raised a team to unravel the circumstances surrounding the cause of the fire, it stated.

  • Varsity professor returns N1.1m wrongly paid to him by NDA

    Varsity professor returns N1.1m wrongly paid to him by NDA

    The Commandant of the Nigerian Defence Academy (NDA), Maj.-Gen. John-Ochefu Ochai, on Wednesday visited Ahmadu Bello University (ABU) Zaria to commend Prof. Umar Ka’oje for voluntarily returning N1,153,953.36 wrongly paid to him.

    The money was paid to the don after expiration of his teaching contract with the nation’s apex military academy.

    The visit by the commandant to the university was in addition to a letter of commendation to the don by the NDA dated Sept. 11.

    The commandant was received by Dr Rahanatu Lawal Head, Department of Political Science and International Studies.

    Lawal said, ”Only a few people today could exhibit Prof. Ka’oje’s uncommon moral courage stressing such exemplary character should be emulated.”

    In his remarks, the commandant said that he had to follow up the letter of commendation earlier written to the professor with the physical visit to further show appreciation for such act.

    According to him, the act exhibited by Ka’oje was extremely rare in Africa’s clime.

    He, therefore, pledged the NDA’s readiness to further honour the professor at an appropriate time.

    The commandant also expressed gratitude to the department for its well established culture of training leaders to be honest and accountable.

    In his response,  Ka’oje commended the academy, saying,” the Commandant equally deserved commendation for recognising and rewarding honesty.”

  • ABU student arrested for stabbing 17-year-old boy to death

    ABU student arrested for stabbing 17-year-old boy to death

    The Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) Bauchi Command said it arrested a 500-level student of the Ahmadu Bello University (ABU), Zaria for allegedly stabbing a 17-year-old student to death.

    The NSCDC Commandant, Ilelaboye Oyejide, said this on Sunday, while briefing newsmen in Bauchi on the incident.

    Oyejide said that the suspect was arrested in Misau Local Government Area of the state.

    He said the command received information that the lifeless body of the deceased, Umar Usman, a secondary school student from Misau, was found wrapped in a white cloth and dumped at Misau bypass.

    “This is a case of culpable homicide,” he said, adding that the incident happened on October 24.

    “He was quickly taken to the General Hospital, Misau, where he was certified dead and handed over to the family for burial,” Oyejide said .

    “When we received the report, we raised high power intelligence officers to go to Misau and investigate to bring the perpetrators to book.

    He said that after a series of investigations by the operatives, “a suspect, Abdullahi Ibrahim, a 500-level student of Veterinary Medicine, ABU, Zaria, was arrested.

    “We came to realise that there was a communication chat between the suspect and deceased.

    “In the communication, we saw where the suspect enticed the deceased with homosexual love and showed him his naked picture.

    “When the deceased went to meet him somehow he was stabbed in the stomach and wrapped in a white cloth and dumped where he was found.

    According to Oyejide, the suspect confessed to the crime during investigation.

    He said that the suspect would be charged to court, “according to his offence”.

    “The suspect said that the deceased approached him with a knife and, in self defence, there was a struggle that resulted in his stabbing the deceased to death.

    “He also said that he was really afraid because it was something he had never encountered in his life,” the NSCDC boss said.

    He further said that the suspect claimed that because he was afraid, he decided to wrap the body in a cloth and dumped it along the bypass.

  • Okra disease spreads across Nigeria

    Okra disease spreads across Nigeria

    The Institute for Agricultural Research (IAR), Ahmadu Bello University (ABU), Zaria has raised an alarm over the outbreak of Okra disease across the country.

    TheNewsGuru.com (TNG) reports the Institute as saying it has obtained samples and is commencing investigations into the new virus disease attacking Okra plants across the country.

    Prof. Mohammed-Faguji Ishiyaku, Executive Director of IAR made this known in an interview on Sunday in Zaria.

    Ishiyaku said that the samples were being cultured at the institute’s laboratories with a view to identifying the actual virus and insect involved in the transmission of the disease.

    Recall the National Horticultural Research Institute (NIHORT) had detected a new virus disease attacking Okra plants across the country, resulting in more than 70 per cent loss of Okra plants.

    Ishiyaku said on receipt of the report, the institute sent its scientists around to assess the situation in Kaduna State and other places.

    “The disease is an epidemic because it is prevalent across the country and the immediate assessment based on our scientists’ expertise also confirmed the strange disease to be a viral infection.

    “From scientific findings, such viral disease was transmitted by some insects (vectors); unfortunately unlike bacterial or fungal disease viral infections don’t have chemical control measures,” he said.

    The executive director said the interim solution was to spray the okra field with insecticides that would control the insects such that the disease would not spread to additional fields.

    Ishiyaku however said that the fruits produced by these infected okra are healthy for consumption.

    He advised the farmers to clean their fields with chemicals before the next farming season and obtain their seeds from healthy sources.

  • President Buhari mourns ex-VC of 3 Nigerian universities

    President Buhari mourns ex-VC of 3 Nigerian universities

    President Muhammadu Buhari on Saturday in Abuja commiserated with the academia over the passing of renowned historian and former Vice-Chancellor of Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, Prof. Abdullahi Mahdi.

    In a condolence message issued by his media aide, Malam Garba Shehu, President Buhari condoled with family members, friends and professional associates of the former vice-chancellor of Gombe State University.

    Late Mahdi was also former vice-chancellor of Gombe State University of Science and Technology.

    President Buhari noted that Mahdi’s contributions to educational development in the country would always be remembered.

    According to him, the visionary, transformational and impactful leadership skills of the scholar, researcher and administrator remains a testimony for posterity, particularly his passion for creating an enabling environment for academics.

    President Buhari prayed for the repose of the soul of the departed academic.

  • Vice-Chancellor laments unending ASUU strike

    Vice-Chancellor laments unending ASUU strike

    Prof. Kabiru Bala, Vice-Chancellor, Ahmadu Bello University (ABU), Zaria, has been lamenting the socio-economic impact of the ongoing ASUU strike.

    He said on Monday that the strike which had gone on for 140 days as at Monday had impacted negatively on the economy of host communities and infrastructures at universities.

    The vice-chancellor made the observation at a “town-and-gown’’ meeting organised by the Kano Zone of ASUU.

    Bala said government, ASUU and other key stakeholders should look at the impact of the strike on the socio-economic fabric of the society.

    He noted that ABU had more than 30,000 students, each of who spent at least N300 on feeding daily, the total sum of which was high.

    “We also have more than 13,000 employees each of who has an average of three to five dependants who feed on daily basis and the salary has stopped coming. It is a rude shock to them.

    “The strike also has far-reaching implication on security,’’ he said.

    He noted that the central theme of insecurity was poverty, adding that the more pervasive poverty became, the more insecure the society became.

    He stressed that the strike was also having an untoward effect on varsity infrastructure like lecture theatres, classrooms and laboratories.

    “Sometimes, when I look between the ABU Senate Building and the Engineering Department complex, I feel like shedding tears as nobody is using the facilities or even passing bye

    “These are infrastructure provided by government, but they are left fallow for months hence the need to innovate ways of telling the government that the infrastructure it provided for universities are left idle,’’ he lamented.

    Earlier, Mr Abdulkadir Mohammed, Zonal Coordinator, ASUU Kano Zone, said the meeting was organised to interact with key stakeholders and educate the public on the rationale behind the strike.

    Mohammed added that the meeting was also aimed at obtaining feedback from critical stakeholders.

    He appealed to traditional leaders, religious bodies and other key stakeholders to intervene to end the strike.

    “ASUU is not happy to go on strike unless it becomes inevitably necessary and the strikes are principally meant to save the university system,’’ he said.

    A traditional ruler at the meeting, Alhaji Munir Jafaru, said Nigerians should revert to prayers for divine intervention to solve myriad challenges bedevilling the country.

    Jafaru suggested a legislation to compel public office holders to send their children and wards to public schools to enhance proper funding of the schools.

  • Court orders CBN to pay 110 disengaged ABU staff

    Court orders CBN to pay 110 disengaged ABU staff

    The National Industrial Court, Abuja on Thursday ordered the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), to pay 110 disengaged staff of the Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, their entitlements.

    In a ruling, Justice Rakiya Hasstrup, raised a sole issue for determination.

    The issue was whether there was sufficient material placed before the court to make an order absolute.

    The court in addition ruled that the consent of the Attorney-General needed not to be sought before the payment is made.

    Hasstrup stated that the reason was because the AG was a party in the suit.

    The court also dismissed the judgment creditor’s objection that the fourth garneshee acted in malice.

    The objection was raised that the fourth garneshee moved ABU’s fund domiciled with it to TSA after it became aware of the court’s order to pay the judgment creditors.

    The court in the ruling also discharged the ABU Microfinance Bank, who was the fourth garneshee, as a party in the suit.

    Earlier, when the matter came up, counsel to the first and third judgment debtors, Yahaya Mohammed had informed the court that the matter was slated for ruling.

    He however said that they had filed an application on Tuesday and same had been served on parties.

    Mohammed in addition stated that the application was to regularise their process for extension of time and to show cause.

    Femi Adedeji, counsel to the judgment creditors on his part objected to the application, arguing that the court did not ask the first and third judgment creditors to show cause as parties who needed to, had already done so.

    Adedeji further submitted that he was served the process in court after 9am shortly before the day’s proceeding in order to delay justice.

    The counsel also said that the last proceeding took place on Nov.3,2021 and processes ought to have been served on them earlier.

    Mohammed responding stated that the AG cannot delay justice and that the judgment creditors did not serve them processes

    The court after listening to both counsel submissions dismissed and struck out the applications.

    The court stated that in pursuant of rule 15, order 14 of the NICN proceeding, such applications ought to have been filed seven days prior to court sitting.

    The judge equally ruled that according to NICN rule, when a matter is set for ruling, no motion was allowed to be brought before it.S he then proceeded to read the ruling.

    The appointments of 110 ABU staff were terminated in 1996, when the institution was run by a Sole Administrator.

    They approached the court in 2012, after failure of the institution to implement the recommendations of various visitation panels, which recommended that they be reinstated and all their entitlements paid.

    The court ruled in favour of the staff in 2015 and ordered the university to reinstate them and pay their entitlements, which amounted to N2.5 billion.

    Non-compliance with the court judgment necessitated the garnishee order on the institution’s bank accounts in 2017.

    However, when the garneshee proceeding was ongoing, the judgment debtors filed for a stay of proceeding as they had filed an appeal before Appeal Court ( in Nov.2018) contesting the 2015 judgment.

    The Court of Appeal on its part on May 24,2021, dismissed the appeal and affirmed the decision of the lower court.

  • ABU students win global Huawei Cloud, AI track competition

    ABU students win global Huawei Cloud, AI track competition

    Three students of Ahmadu Bello University (ABU), Zaria, have won the global grand prize in cloud and artificial intelligence of the Huawei ICT Competition 2019-2020.

    Prof. Kabir Bala, the Vice Chancellor of the university, disclosed this during the 2019/2020 Huawei Nigeria ICT Competition Award and inauguration of the 2021/2022 Launch Ceremony in Zaria on Wednesday.

    Bala said the 2019/2020 Huawei competition had a participation record of almost 150,000 students from over 2,000 colleges and universities in more than 82 countries.

    “Six ABU students participated and three of them: Hamza Atabor, Emmanuel Abba and Hamza Beira, earned first prize in Network Track Globally.

    “Mustapha Jimoh, Dahir Muhammad-Dahir and Abdullahi Khalifa Muhammad earned grand prize in cloud and artificial intelligence at the global final,’’ he said.

    He noted that the relationship between ABU and the Huawei Technologies started in August 2018.

    The vice chancellor added that Huawei approached the university for a partnership on the Huawei authorised Information Network Academy (HAINA) and other CSR initiatives.

    “We are pleased with the outcomes recorded so far; under the ABU-HAINA programme over 1,000 enrollment and 450 different certification tracks have been recorded,’’ he said.

    Ms Melissa Chen, the Director, Service Delivery, Huawei Technologies Nigeria, said over 22,000 Nigerian students registered in the Huawei ICT Competition for 2019/2020.

    Chen, represented by Mr Star Shi, Assistant Director, Service Delivery, said 1,000 of these students competed in the national final in December 2019.

    Chen added that 15 students from ABU Zaria, University of Ibadan and University of Port Harcourt represented Nigeria in the regional final.

    “The team obtained good result at the regional final and they were given the privilege to represent their schools and Nigeria in the global final,’’ she said.

    Mr Igwe Keneth, Huawei, ICT Ecosystem Development Manager, said the company celebrated students from Nigeria who achieved excellent results in the 2020 Huawei ICT Competition.

    Keneth said two teams from Nigeria came out of the completion with grand prize; it was unprecedented in the competition history.

    “We came here today to give them the award and celebrate with them and also launch the 2021-2022 Huawei ICT Competition for students.

    “In the 2021-2022 competition there will be a cloud track, network track and innovation track where students will come with innovative ideas and present it during the competition,’’ Kenneth said.

    The manager said the Huawei ICT competition was initiated to cultivate ICT talents.

    He added that the competition provides the necessary platform for students to get knowledge and experience to build the talent for the ICT ecosystem.