By Hassan Auwalu Muhammad
without much ado, let me begin by thanking Almighty God for allowning us to witness the successiful five-year-tenure of Vice-Chancellorship of the largest University in Africa, National Open Unuversity of Nigeria(NOUN) by our father, mentor and a double Professor from two different discplines, Professor Abdallah Uba Adamu.
Professor Abdallah Uba Adamu, the eldest son of the late ‘KANTOMAN KANO’, Dr. Uba adamu, was appointed Vice-Chancellor of NOUN in February 2016, by President Muhammadu Buhari for the tenure of five years as the law says.
Professor Abdallah Uba Adamu: The Ibn Khaldun Of Our Time
It was really an amazing thing to have an academic personnel from Daneji Quarters in the ancient pyramid city of Kano as Vice-Chancellor of a University like NOUN which has the highest number of students among the African Universities with more than five hundred thousands students.
Successes @ NOUN
Here are a few of the achievements so far made by Professor Abdallah Uba Adamu as the vice-Chancellor of the National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN):
Upon his appointment, he realized that the university itself was considered more of a regional than a national institution.
His first move was to nationalize it by ensuring that all the six principal officers of the university come from the six Geopolitical zones of the country.
This is the only university with this administrative structure.
He immediately began a plan to ensure that the Headquarters of the university relocated from Lagos to the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, despite the threats and challenges he faced.
Without hesitation, he began expanding the new headquarters of the university in Abuja, and in a short period moved from Lagos to Abuja.
He has built numerous study centres across Nigeria, especially in the northern part of the country.
Prof. Abdallah has worked hard to employ many young people at the university under the Employment Act, and with the permission of the legal organs of the Government, and many young Nigerians have been employed in different capacities at the university, particularly in Computer Science.
This was done before enployment stopped by IPPIS.
He re-built the University’s FM station in Lagos for the university to broadcast programs like any other FM station in the country.
Before becoming the VC, all students’ books and materials were produced from outside the university, which cost a large amount of money.
However, he later built a university printing press that would provide all the basic things that university students need, which saves the government a lot of money.
He has improved the school’s internet system so that students can read and research information on various subjects easily.
During the Pandemic lockdown, NOUN was the only university conducting online Pen-on-Paper examination using Artificial Intelligence software that detects cheating.
The students did the examinations at home without going to any Study Center.
Professor Abdallah found a Mosque at the National University Headquarters in Abuja already built by the Contractors building the University.
To show his liberal attitude, when the Christian community asked for a place of worship, he allocated lands to Protestant and Catholics for them to build their Churches, but informed them that they have to source the money to build their worship places as it is not government policy to build worship places for either Muslims or Christians.
Even the mosque was built privately by a contractor without any government funding.
Thus one of his greatest efforts was to unite the staff of the university by working together without any discrimination based on race, religion or ethnicity.
He has worked tirelessly with other major universities in the world to improve the academic system at the university he leads.
Prof. Abdallah built a Media Centre for the university at its Jabi Headquarters in Abuja.
He encouraged politicians to use their constituency projects to build the centres.
Recently, he led a team of some university officials to Kano and commissioned sixteen study centres built by three politicians, 13 by Distinguished Senator Barau Jibril in his Senatorial District, two by Honourable Aminu Suleiman in Fagge and Kwaciri, and the biggest and most impressive of all, the one by Honourable Mustapha Bala Mai Gidan Ruwa at Dawakin Kudu.
This last one is the biggest and most comprehensive in Nigeria.
In fact, it is better than many universities, yet it is only a study centre.
Other places he fought for study centres include Katsina, Jigawa, Delta, Ondo and Edo States.
As he ended his tenure successifullly, may Almighty God choose a better thing for him in the future, bless him with reward for the good service he rendered to his Father Land, Nigeria.
For students who learn English as a course, Noun names persons, places and things, but for AU Adamu as the Vice-Chamcellor of the National Open Universiy of Nigeria, NOUN means work(verb). He has devoted his life, time and energy to making sure NOUN becomes VERB(work) in another context.
Monogamist for life
Professor Abdallah Uba Adamu is a philanthropist, a man of the masses, easy-going, man of his words because no matter what, he will not lie to you about something he cannot do just to impress you.
Above all, he is incorruptible.
In the use of language, both Hausa and English, you can say he is an orator.
When he speaks in the Hausa language, you would assume he cannot speak the English language, but when he addresses you in the English language, you would think Professor Abdallah is an English man.
He was crowned NZE OKAA OMEE, a traditional title in the Awene Ezema Olo Kingdom of Ezeagu LGA Enugu state.
Professor Abdallah Uba Adamu’s tenure as vice-chancellor ended on 10th February 2021 and has already returned to Bayero University Kano and resumed duties on.
He has one wife and four children, and says he is not ready to marry another wife as the one he has, whom he married in 1987 as his first and last wife, is more than four wives.
His children are all grown up, except the youngest who is 13 years. One is a married computer programmer, another a barrister who lives outside the country with her family and the only male is a Businessman.
Hassan Auwalu Muhammad a student of Mass communication at Bayero University Kano can be reached via m.shareef1980@gmail.com
