The first part of this piece was published in this column on Wednesday, October 30, 2024. At that time, I only knew Yayale through newspapers and news media. Nevertheless, I wrote about his responsibilities, background, risks, and potential challenges related to his assignment. This assignment involves two demanding tasks: leading the government delegation to resolve the over-a-decade-long FGN-ASUU crisis and chairing the Ahmadu Bello University (ABU) Zaria Governing Council, which entails overseeing the appointment of the university’s new vice-chancellor. The tasks are so burdensome that one can hardly accomplish them without compromising integrity and reputation.
I recounted the unpleasant stories of the late Mallam Adamu Chiroma and Engr. Bunu Shariff Musa, who were appointed at different times to chair the ABU Zaria Governing Council and serve as university Pro-Chancellor. However, both resigned due to circumstances beyond their control. Until their demise, they likely regretted accepting their appointments. The tenure of the immediate past chairman, the late Mallam Adamu Fika, a nonagenarian with fond memories, was cut short by the dissolution of all governing councils of federally owned universities after the 2023 election. Fika’s council produced a Vice-Chancellor in 2020 amidst conflict and tension that led to the formation of an infractions committee following the exercise. The bitter experience still lingers among a few contenders who rarely see eye-to-eye.
From 2020 to 2024, the university faced strenuous upheavals: the COVID-19 pandemic, 14 months of two ASUU national industrial actions, a 32-day electrical power outage due to the inability of the university to settle its bill, and financial bleeding through the Court seizure of over 2 billion Naira as compensation to its illegally sacked staff over two decades ago, which all, culminated to stagnation of the university’s progress. Being a master of resilience and doggedness, the University Ranking by Academic Performance (URAP) of 2024 ranked ABU third best in Nigeria, 21st in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), and an impressive 1176th globally. ABU Zaria could have done better.
Returning to Yayale’s tasks, my 1,405-word article detailing the leadership challenges and fears, concluding with prayers, might have inspired and energized Yayale to utilize his wealth of experience, connections, and wisdom to elevate his alma mater, ABU Zaria, to new heights. This was evident during last week’s council selection process for a new vice-chancellor.
As one of the 14 shortlisted candidates interviewed for the ABU Zaria VC position, I can testify to the freest, transparent, and unbiased process used by Yayale’s Council to midwife the new VC, Prof Adamu Ahmed. Ab initio, I had no intention of vying for the VC position despite pressure from friends and admirers until a friend told me that if I didn’t apply, I would lose the moral obligation to criticize any leader for failing to deliver since the opportunity came to me, and I refused to use it. After the Herculean application process, the fourteen of us faced the joined selection board of the senate and council, who drilled and scrutinized our curriculum vitae and selected the best three for the council’s final selection of one among the three. The University Miscellaneous Act of 1993 states, “The Council shall select one candidate from among the three candidates recommended to it under subsection three of this section and forward the name to the President”.
Before starting the interview (or interaction, as they referred to it), the selection board, led by Yayale, convened a brief meeting with us, the candidates. He expressed, “This board does not have a preferred candidate, and you are all competing for the esteemed position of ABU VC. However, we cannot select all of you or even two; only one individual among you will be chosen to fill this position through a fair, transparent process free from biases.” This reassurance alleviated the tense atmosphere in the room where we gathered. The board engaged each of us in about thirty minutes of friendly interaction with the members. During the interview, there was no trace of the arrogance typically found in interviewee-interviewer or employer-employee relationships often observed in the Nigerian job market. After twenty hours of continuous proceedings, the new VC was announced at 6:15 am on February 5, 2025.
The emergence of Professor Adamu as the new VC was the most astonishing and awing among the keen observers, as he was least expected to clinch the position. Prof Adamu was the dark horse among the candidates, as there were the anointed, the Abuja political bigwig backed, the traditional rulers supported, and the restless gold-diggers, the season, most experienced and professional VC position applicants. Professor Adamu had a date with Destiny.
Many were running helter-skelter to discover who Professor Adamu Ahmed was and what made him beat the crème de la crème of the academics who had spent years preparing for the VC’s job. It was just unbelievable. After finding out what transpired, I was among the first to receive the breaking news of the selection and became convinced that the process was devoid of shenanigans. I had to be a gallant loser.
Prof Adamu Ahmed is one of the diehard Abusites who live in ABU Zaria fresh from secondary school and in their teenage lives till their fifties/sixties. They have seen the glorious and ignominious years of ABU Zaria. Adamu faced some upheavals in his career as an academic. In 2012, Adamu escaped death by the whiskers. Armed robbers shot him on his way to Minna, Niger state. The fragment of the bullet pieced his body, went through it, and came out without touching his sensitive organs; he bled for hours, was taken to two hospitals and refused admission, and was admitted to a third one. It was a gruesome experience that could have been fatal but for Divine intervention. Yes, God destined Adamu to be the Vice Chancellor of ABU Zaria starting from May 1, 2025. I wonder if Adamu dreamt of being the Vice Chancellor of his Alma Mater, as he did not even apply until the Council Search Team searched him. Even when the team approached him, he requested time to consider it. This is why Adamu needs to work hard to place ABU Zaria on an exemplary trajectory of being the most cosmopolitan breeding ground for nationalists and intellectuals, as envisaged by its founding fathers.
Paraphrasing the speech of Sir Ahmadu Bello, the first premier of the northern region and the Sardauna of Sokoto, on November 23, 1963, ABU was established to serve as an institution of academic excellence with international recognition, capable of developing a skilled workforce while promoting and preserving local culture and traditional institutions. It is now time for Adamu to take the necessary steps to fulfill Sir Ahmadu Bello’s noble objectives. However, Adamu is assuming leadership of the university at a time when it faces existential challenges of enormous proportions, as described by the ASUU branch leadership.
As we move forward, the new university management under Prof. Adamu must prepare to face the challenges of insufficient funding, high electricity bills, inadequate staffing due to a failing IPPIS, and the need to equip the university with state-of-the-art facilities. Fortunately, the university possesses extensive qualitative human resources (staff, prominent alumni, well-wishers, and friends), serving as the engine of academic excellence and high productivity. Without nepotism and unproductive emotions, Prof. Adamu can place a round peg in a round hole to tackle the challenges facing ABU Zaria. The academic staff have pledged their support for the new administration through their union, ASUU. Perhaps the non-academic staff will join their academic colleagues. ABU Zaria urgently needs to move forward.
Despite immense pressure, Yayale has broken the jinx of the crisis after selecting a new VC for ABU Zaria. It has made him a man of wisdom. At 73, he should focus entirely on leaving an exemplary legacy to elevate his name for eternity. In achieving this goal, I rated him very high and recommended that he maintain the momentum until the subsequent ABU management takes appropriate action in the right direction.
What is happening with Yayale’s second task of negotiating with ASUU to resolve the perennial crisis afflicting the university system in Nigeria? The university campuses are restless, and the bubble inches closer to bursting as socioeconomic hardships intensify. Yayale’s negotiation team must have concluded their task and may need to find a way to persuade the government to take the necessary actions. He must wield his magic wand to compel the government to fulfill its responsibilities. We are prayerful that the government will accept and implement Yayale’s recommendations. It will be a new dawn for the university system in Nigeria, another exemplary legacy, and an indisputable accolade for Yayale. May God make President Tinubu respond positively to Yayale’s recommendations.
