The announcement in March, of nine prominent academicians as pioneer Vice-Chancellors (VCs) for the newly created Federal universities put to rest insinuations on who would head the various universities.
Three out of the nine new VCs are from the Diasporas. The reasons for their appointment are obvious and considered well thought out, given the clime they are coming from and their pedigree as teachers in globally acclaimed universities.
Minister of Education, Professor Ruqayyatu Ahmed Rufai, who gave insights on the reasons behind the choice of the VCs and Registrars for the new universities, had said, “The appointment of the Vice-Chancellors and Registrars was done to avoid the localisation of the new universities and to ensure that they take off as national and international centres of knowledge.”
It is with regards to this that the pioneers were painstakingly chosen from the ranks of former Vice-Chancellors, Deputy Vice-Chancellors, Provosts of Colleges of Medicine as well as distinguished Nigerian professors in the Diaspora.
Their credentials as chronicled below are intimidating and speak volume of the character and attitude of the eggheads who have proven to be successful administrators in previous responsibilities assigned to them.
Professor Jibrila Dahiru Amin - Federal University, Dutse, Jigawa
Professor Jibrila Dahiru Amin was born in Song, Adamawa State, on October 15, 1958. He completed his primary education at Uba Central Primary School, Borno State, in 1970. From there he attended Yelwa Government Secondary School, Yola, now Aliyu Mustapha College from January 1971 to June 1975. He was a student of the then North East College of Arts and Science, Maiduguri, 1975 and 1977. He was later admitted into the Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, to read Veterinary Medicine in 1977. He graduated in June 1982 with the DVM degree.
He did his NYSC as an Assistant Lecturer and Resident Veterinarian in the Department of Animal Science, Rivers State University of Science and Technology (RUST), Port Harcourt.
After national service, he was appointed as an Assistant Lecturer at the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Maiduguri, in September 1983. He won a scholarship for his postgraduate studies at the Royal Veterinary College, University of London, where he bagged a Masters degree in Animal Health in 1985. He became Lecturer II and subsequently sought and obtained a Commonwealth Scholarship which enabled him return to the Royal Veterinary College for a Ph.D degree programme.
His love for his fatherland brought him home to Maiduguri and was promoted to the rank of Lecturer I and Senior Lecturer, both in 1993.
He became Head of Department of Veterinary Surgery and Reproduction and later Coordinator of the Remedial Science Programme. He was a Rockefeller 3 Biotechnology Fellow between 1993 and 1995. He obtained a Postgraduate Diploma in Management from University of Maiduguri, and a Member of the Nigerian Institute of Management.
He was promoted to the substantive rank of Professor of Veterinary Theriogenology in 1998. In March 1999 he was appointed Deputy Vice-Chancellor, Central Administration, and in May 2003 was appointed the Vice-Chancellor by the then President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. He completed his tenure in May 2008 and is now a Visiting Professor at the National Universities Commission (NUC).
Professor Amin is the Chairman of the National Universities Commission Standing Committee on Private Universities (SCOPU) and currently Vice-Chancellor, Federal University, Dutse, Jigawa State, while Alhaji Yusuf Adamu will function as his Registrar.
Prof. Oyewusi Ibidapo-Obe - Fed. University, Ndufu-Alike, Ebonyi
Professor Oyewusi Ibidapo-Obe, the pioneer Vice-Chancellor Federal University, Ndufu-Alike, Ebonyi State, was born on July 5 1949 at Ilesa, Osun State. He attended Ilesa Grammar School and Obokun High School between 1962 and 1966. He also attended Igbobi College, Lagos, 1967-1968 for the Higher School. He was awarded a Bachelor of Science (B.Sc. Hons) degree in Mathematics, First Class Division by the University of Lagos, Nigeria, in 1971; a Master of Mathematics (M. Maths) degree in Applied Mathematics with a minor in Computer Science in 1973 and a Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D) in Civil Engineering with specialisation in Applied Mechanics/Systems in 1976 both from the University of Waterloo, Ontario, Canada.
Professor Ibidapo-Obe was a Western Nigeria Government Scholar at the University of Lagos, 1968-1971, and was the overall best graduating student of the university in 1971.
He served University of Lagos from October 1, 1972, as a Graduate Assistant through 1976 as Lecturer Grade II till 1983 as Professor.
After serving his alma matter in several other capacities, subsequently he became the Deputy Vice-Chancellor in April 2000 and acted as Vice-Chancellor between September 2000 and April 2002. He was appointed substantive Vice-Chancellor on May 1, 2002 and successfully served until April 30, 2007. He was the Chairman of the Committee of Vice-Chancellors of Nigerian Universities. He was twice awarded the Best Vice-Chancellor’s Prize (2004,2005) for the Nigerian University System (NUS). He served as an International Scholar-in-Residence at The Pennsylvania State University and a Visiting Research Professor at Texas Southern University.
Professor Geoffrey Okogbaa - Fed. University, Wukari, Taraba
Dr. O. Geoffrey Okogbaa, one of the three VCs from the Diaspora, is a professor of Industrial and Management Systems Engineering. Until his appointment as the pioneer Vice-Chancellor of the Federal University, Wukari, Taraba State, he taught engineering designs, statistics, quality, reliability and safety critical systems at the University of Southern Florida, United States of America.
He is a Fellow of the Nigerian Academy of Engineering (NAE), the highest level of achievement in the engineering profession in Nigeria.
A registered Professional Engineer (PE) in the State of Florida, US, Okogbaa is also a Fellow of the Institute of Industrial Engineers (IIE). He has conducted more than $8 million worth researches for various organisations, governments and private entities in the areas of process control, macro and nano-reliability and engineering design as well as human reliability and performance.
Professor Okogbaa received his doctorate from the University of Cincinnati and is currently co-authoring a book, Structural Issue in the Design and Analysis of Six Sigma. He previously served as interim Associate Dean of the Graduate School at University of Southern Florida.
Professor Ekanem Ikpi Braide - Fed University, Lafia, Nasarawa
Eka Ikpi Braide is the immediate past Vice-Chancellor of Cross River University of Technology, Nigeria. A graduate of the University of Ife, Nigeria and Cornell University, Ithaca, New York City. Prof. Eka, as she fondly called, joined the University of Calabar in 1979 and became a Professor of Parasitology in 1991. She has served as Chairman of the Technical Consultative Committee of African Programme for Onchocerciasis Control (APOC), and a member of the Nigerian National Committee on Neglected Tropical Diseases. She coordinates the Anglophone teams involved in an APOC/WHO multi-site study on the impact of onchocerciasis (river blindness) control in Sudan, Ethiopia, Uganda, Tanzania and Nigeria, Cameroon, Central African Republic and Democratic Republic of Congo.
A Fellow of the Nigerian Academy of Science and The Nigerian Society for Parasitology, Braide was in 1994 honoured by Global 2000 of The Carter Centre with the Jimmy and Roselynn Carter Award for outstanding dedication and achievement as South East Zonal Facilitator in The Nigeria Guinea Worm Eradication Programme. Professor Ekanem is the current pioneer Vice-Chancellor of Federal University, Lafia, Nasarawa State.
Professor Abdulmumini Hassan Rafindadi, Federal University, Lokoja, Kogi
Professor Abdulmumini Hassan Rafindadi, Chief Medical Director, Ahmadu Bello University Teaching Hospital, Zaria, was born January 15, 1957 in K. atsina, Katsina.
He began his educational career at the Rafindadi Primary School, Katsina, and St Peter’s Primary School, Kaduna between 1963 and 1970. He was later enrolled at Barewa College, Zaria, and School of Basic Studies, Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, between 1970 and 1974. He made Grade 1 with distinction in 1974.
He obtained a Bachelor of Medicine, and Bachelor of Surgery (MB, BS) from the Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, 1980. Rafindadi has vast experience in his field of study having rotated through the Departments of Paediatrics and Obstetrics and Gynaecology. Katsina General Hospital from January 1981 to June 1981 and the Departments of Surgery and Medicine.
He had his postgraduate training at the University College Hospital, Ibadan, Nigeria: Residency training in Pathology from January 1986 to May 1990. He also had training in Haematology, Microbiology and Chemical Pathology from January 1987 to September 1987. The rest of the period of training in the UCH was spent in the Department of Pathology acquiring higher specialist training.
He was a member of the international team of pathologists who investigated the death of MKO Abiola in 1998 and Chairman, Committee on the Solution to the Year 2000 Computer Time Bomb in the ABUTH, 1998 among other notable appointments.
He is a Fellowship of the National Postgraduate Medical College of Nigeria (FMCPath) in 1990.
Professor Mobolaji E. Aluko, Fed University, Otuoke, Bayelsa
He was born on April 2, 1955. He is a professor of Chemical Engineering at Howard University, Washington, DC, and was chair of its department, 1994-2002.
He graduated from University of Ife now Obafemi Awolowo University with a B.Sc degree in Chemical Engineering in 1976.
He also attended Imperial College, University of London; University of California, Santa Barbara; and State University of New York, Buffalo, for graduate and post-doctoral studies. He had sabbatical teaching and research stints at the University of Washington, Seattle (Materials Science Department); the University of Maryland (College Park; Chemical Engineering), and the University of Ado-Ekiti, Nigeria, (Mechanical Engineering Department).
He is presently International Coordinator of the LEAD Program at the National Universities Commission (NUC) in Nigeria. The Linkage with Experts and Academics in the Diaspora (LEAD) programme of the National Universities commission (NUC) in Nigeria is designed as part of government’s efforts at transforming the education sector through collaboration with Nigerians in the Diaspora. He is an activist and frequent commentator on Nigerian and African affairs.
Professor James Ortese Ayatse, Fed University, Dutsin’Ma-Katsina, Katsina
Professor James Ortese Ayatse, a professor of Biochemistry was born in 1959. He had his secondary education at Government College, Keffi, Nasarawa State. He later enrolled at the University of Ibadan and University of Calabar for his first and second degrees respectively.
The search for greater challenges and thirst for academic excellence took him to the University of Surrey, Guilford, United Kingdom, 1987.
Ayatse began his working career as Graduate Assistant lecturer at the University of Calabar. Ayatse was a former Vice-Chancellor of the University of Agriculture, Makurdi, Benue State. He is the pioneer VC of Federal University Dutsin-Ma, Katsina State.
Mohammed Kabiru Farouk
Mohammed Kabiru Farouk is Associate Professor of Social Studies/ Global Education and Director of the Global Awareness Programme at Florida International University.
Dr. Farouk earned his doctorate in Curriculum and Instruction/Social Studies Education in 1990 from West Virginia University. Earlier, he received his baccalaureate in Education and History and master’s degree in Curriculum and Instruction/Social Studies Education from Bayero University, Kano, Nigeria. Prior to coming to Florida International University, Dr. Farouk taught social science in Nigerian schools and served on the faculties at West Virginia University and Bayero University, Kano.
Dr. Farouk has done research and published articles on social science education, global education, and multicultural education. He has been involved in programme development and teacher training
He has graduated 10 doctoral students and continues to supervise doctoral dissertations in Curriculum and Instruction as well as serve on dissertation committees. Farouk has also served in leadership positions in professional and community organisations at the local, national, and international levels. He served as a Department Chair, Associate Dean, and Coordinator of Curriculum and Instruction doctoral programmes and the Master of Science in Curriculum and Instruction in the College of Education. He is currently the
Director of FIU’s MS in Curriculum and Instruction programme in Jamaica and the Global Awareness Programme.
Dr. Mohammed K. Farouk is an Associate Professor of Social Studies Education and Curriculum Studies and an affiliated. He has been at Florida International University since August 1991.
He served as a Department Chair, Associate Dean, and Coordinator of Curriculum and Instruction doctoral programmes and the Master of Science in Curriculum and Instruction in the College of Education. He is currently the
Director of FIU’s MS in Curriculum and Instruction programme in Jamaica and the Global Awareness Programme.
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