Opinion

Federation within a Federation:The Untold Story of Prof Na’Allah as Uniabuja Vice-Chancellor

Published

2 years ago

December 20, 2023

Professor Na'Allah

Hakeem Alohunmata

The 1914 amalgamation of the Northern and Southern protectorates as one entity, called Nigeria, has repeatedly been described as a ”marriage of inconvenience” or simply put, a ”forced marriage”. To some people, even, it was a wedding without marriage. This is the position of the pessimists who see Nigeria as a failed project. How can it be a successful project when the couples are constantly in conflict like sworn enemies? A nation that graciously allows artificial divisions to becloud its sense of harnessing its cultural diversity and religious plurality for national development. A nation that allows faint lines of boundaries to blur its vision of tapping into the resources of its over 400 languages for tourism enterprise. A nation that allows mutual suspicion to daunt its passion for developing its human resources for skill exportation.

A nation that allows political affiliations to clog the wheel of its fortune, progress and prosperity. Pursuing the banality of a fictitious interest, the nation is found wanting in the loneliness of a multi-crore forest. The multitude of culture, plurality of ethnicity and diversity of religion, rather than being a blessing to the nation, seem like an irredeemable curse placed on a traitor in a local movie. Nepotism, sectionalism and corruption have eaten so deep into the system that it has spread like a wildfire to every sphere of our institutions.
University of Abuja, a federation within the federation, shares a similar experience. It is the only federal University in Nigeria that has all the thirty-six states of the country as its catchment in terms of staff recruitment and student admission.

It is an heterogeneous community, and a conglomerate of conflicting ethnic groups, diverse cultures and polarized religious affiliations. Like the bigger federation, the ethnic divisions and religious affiliation have, over the years, become a bane in the development of the university. The institution had badly been bitten by the bared fangs of nepotism. Past leaders of the university had tried, without much success, to free the University from the tightening claws of sentiment in order to chart a course for development of the University. However, lack of political will to suppress ethnic favoritism and religious bigotry whips the chord of incessant internal crises, underscored by monumental bickering and eventual down-tooling of labour unions within the university. Prolonged industrial actions, blatant disregard for academic calendar, admission and certificate racketeering, infrastructural deficit, poor staff and students welfare, and low-level of academic research output, top the chart of the numerous challenges bedeviling the institution. And this is no less the reason why the university was being derided and ridiculously referred to as a ‘glorified secondary school’.

This was the situation of Uniabuja, until the birth of a new regime spearheaded by an altruistic, patriotic and detribalized Nigerian – Prof. AbdulRasheed Na’Allah. Rather than succumbing to the seemingly insurmountable problems, which are as big as the mountains surrounding the campus itself, Prof. Na’Allah saw an opportunity in the ethnic and socio-cultural division of his staff. No sooner he was appointed as the Vice-Chancellor in 2019, than he coined a slogan – The University for National Unity – for the university. This slogan has come to stay as the University is now popularly known as UofA of Nigeria and the University for National Unity. The coinage of this slogan shows the readiness of Prof. Na’Allah, right from inception, to form a government of national unity by mobilizing staff, students and stakeholders regardless of their ethnic or religious affiliations to work with him on his mandate to bring an aggressive development to the University. The idea of University of Abuja as a university for National Unity becomes his watchword. It is at the fulcrum of his programmes and policies, and it was brought to bear even in the appointment of deans and directors into key positions in the University without sacrificing merit. His idea of national unity was reflected in the admission process. Having realized that some sections of the country had benefited too much for so long in the scheme of things including student admission, he reviewed the admission process to ensure that applicants from every state of the federation are admitted to the University without prejudice. Prof. NaAllah’s patriotism could also be noted in the staff recruitment exercise by standing firm on the principles of federal character. His belief in National Unity resonates in two critical centres he established: the Centre for Community Development and Centre for Stakeholders Mobilization. While the Centre for stakeholders mobilization is working hard to mobilize for support from people of different background and status from within and outside the University, the Centre for Community Development serves as a link between the ‘town and gown’. Through the Centre for Community Development, the host communities are deeply involved in the activities and programmes of the institution. They now feel more attached to the University like never before. The harmonious relationship between the host communities and the university made it possible for Prof. NaAllah to achieve the construction of perimeter fencing of the entire university land – a task no one believe was possible.

Prof. Na’Allah’s zeal for infrastructural development is not known only to University of Abuja. As the pioneer Vice-Chancellor of Kwara State University, he started the university from zero infrastructure to a masterpiece, a world-class university with beautiful landscape, superb architectural edifice, good road networks, stable and quality academic delivery, a feat that made the then Kwara State Governor call on the House of Assembly to review the one-term tenure policy of a Vice-Chancellor, to allow him come back for another term of five years.

This also is an uncommon privilege earned by uncommon character and dedication to duties. The Executive Secretary of TETfund, Arch. Sunday Echono, visited the university recently. He could not but confirm the solid foundation laid by Prof. Na’Allah upon which KWASU today stands.
However, the great achievements he recorded at KWASU were not enough to reveal the patriotism in him as KWASU seems to be a small community with small political set up. The opportunity eventually came when he was called upon to serve his nation in the capacity of Vice-Chancellor of a Federal University- a university with conservative tradition that defies modernity; a university that takes solace in mediocrity and stagnancy; a university with galaxies of scholars working in isolation without collaborations; a university with a senate that is divided against itself across ethno-religious lines.
Managing such an institution was a huge task because the most difficult thing to accept is change. As a master strategist, Prof. Na’Allah, amidst stiff rejection, cheap blackmail and witch-hunting, was able to waddle through the muddy water to pave the way for the needed development in the University. Under his leadership, University of Abuja has regained its rightful position in the community of Universities in Nigeria. With his doggedness and administrative acumen, Prof. Na’Allah had, in no small measure, maintained the sanctity of academic calendar and improved academic standard of the University. With COVID-19 lockdown and the prolong ASUU strike that rocked the entire 2020 and early part of 2021, University of Abuja was one of the few, if not the only, universities that did not lose a single session. Prof. Na’Allah developed a robust virtual learning system that allowed students to take their classes while at home. Students now know the day they will graduate, the first day they are admitted into the University. This was largely made possible with the introduction of a portal system by Prof. NaAllah who is popularly known across the length and breadth of the campus as a digital Vice-Chancellor.

To the committee of Vice-Chancellors of Nigeria Universities, Prof. NaAllah is known as an infrastructure Vice-Chancellor. He leaves no one in doubt of his capability by turning University of Abuja to a construction site. To him, the best welfare any staff can get is to have a conducive working environment. He then began on an aggressive mobilization for fund by blocking leakages, improving the university internally generated revenue (IGR) without unnecessary hike in school fees, rallying for financial supports from philanthropists, organizations and well meaning alumni of the University, and lobbying government and government agencies to invest in the infrastructure of the university. These endeavour yielded tremendous benefit as money raised are prudently plunged into building of faculties, befitting lecture theatres, state-of-the-art laboratories, world-class international conference centres, building of new hostels and renovation of existing ones, staff clubs, new staff quarters on campus, mini stadium, solar farms, computer laboratories across the campus, first-of-its-kind new senate building (ongoing), completion of the old senate building as well as all other abandoned projects (PG school, Faculty of Engineering, Faculty of Sciences etc.) landscaping and street lighting of the entire campus, good road network, to mention a few.

This recent
transformation occasioned by a world class administrator, Prof, AbdulRasheed Naallah, opened up the University to both local and international collaborations. Government agencies, ministries, diplomats from various countries, international organizations, Universities from other African countries, Europe, China, Japan, North and South Korea, are now trooping to the University for partnership and exchanges. This gives the ever-expanding student population the opportunity for intercultural exchanges as some students of the university, that won Fukushima Prefecture Governor’s award were recently invited for a tour of Japan by the Japanese government; so also is the University receiving international students on exchange programme to its campus. The Chinese government is continuously supporting the University’s Engineering programme through provision of state-of-the-art equipment.

Prof. Na’Allah, in a grand style and in one scoop, did what no Vice-Chancellor in the history of Uniabuja had ever done by securing NUC approval to start twenty-six (26) new programmes including Aeronautic and Astronautic Engineering. He is a Vice-Chancellor of many first’s’: The first Vice-Chancellor to introduce students employment scheme to Nigerian education system, the first Vice-Chancellor to introduce Railway Engineering (awaiting NUC resource verrification result), Aeronautic and Astronautic Engineering (at KWASU) as undergraduate programmes and so on. Prof. NaAllah’s unmatched administrative experience in managing tertiary institutions had, without doubt, brought about a significant change not only to University of Abuja but also to the Nigerian higher education system as other Universities now tow the lines of a new direction he had painstakingly led.

Prof. NaAllah is a distinguished academic and astute administrator that only needs a bigger stage to turn around the fortune of Nigerian education system.

Opinion

Insecurity: Was Badaru’s Exit a Voluntary Resignation or a Disguised Dismissal?

Published

3 days ago

December 2, 2025

Nigerian Tracker

_By Abba Dukawa_

Whether former Defence Minister Muhammad Badaru Abubakar resigned or was quietly removed by the President, one thing is certain: the Defence Ministry urgently needs an experienced and capable leader, especially amid today’s escalating security crises.

In the Tinubu administration, citing “health grounds” has become the political equivalent of “ dog ate homework” a polite euphemism for someone who has essentially been dismissed.

The truth is that Badaru had no business being Defence Minister in the first place. He brought no relevant experience to the role, and his temperament was ill‑suited to a nation facing a deepening security crisis. His appointment baffled anyone genuinely concerned about Nigeria’s stability and survival.

Before his exit, Badaru had already exposed himself as hopelessly confused and entirely unfit to lead the Defence Ministry – the institution responsible for overseeing Nigeria’s military.

In a BBC Hausa Service interview *before his unceremonial departure* from the cabinet, he revealed glaring deficiencies in his understanding of security challenges. He even made a shocking claim: that the Nigerian Air Force cannot eliminate terrorists hiding in forests because some hideouts are “too thick for bombs to penetrate.” He said:

_“In this kind of war, from time to time there will be relief; sometimes they will do something that will shock everyone on the ground, although I have heard some say their whereabouts are known and who they are. It is true that their whereabouts are known, but they are people you cannot attack, or they are in the forests where our bombs cannot reach them.”_

His remarks reveal not only a lack of resolve to confront insecurity but also a habit of offering puerile excuses to justify failure. Under his watch, Nigeria witnessed some of its bloodiest days, as terrorists and bandits unleashed violence on defenseless citizens across the Northeast, Northwest, and North‑Central regions. During this period, terrorists abducted and publicly executed Brigadier General Uba and three of his men in Borno State.

The truth is that Badaru was unfit to be Defence Minister long before his exit. His comments suggest a Nigeria permanently at the mercy of bandits, yet these criminals were allegedly never apprehended because their locations were “too remote” or “too difficult to attack.”

Thankfully, President Bola Tinubu has responded with a sweeping overhaul, replacing the Chief of Defence Staff and other service chiefs. He has now nominated General Christopher Gwabin Musa as Nigeria’s new Minister of Defence, citing his ability to “further strengthen Nigeria’s security architecture.”

General Musa, 58, is a highly decorated soldier who served as Chief of Defence Staff from 2023 to October 2025. His distinguished career includes appointments as Theatre Commander of Operation, Commander of the Nigerian Army Infantry Corps, and recipient of the Colin Powell Award for Soldiering in 2012. President Tinubu expressed confidence in General Musa’s leadership, describing him as a “tested professional capable of strengthening Nigeria’s security framework.

The former Defence Minister’s defeatist comments have sparked widespread criticism and demoralized troops on the frontline. The focus now shifts to President Tinubu’s administration and General Musa’s ability to restore confidence and security across the nation.

Challenges ahead for General Musa as defence minister, Strengthen intelligence gathering and surveillance systems to combat terrorism and banditry.

Improve barracks conditions and support for military personnel. Accelerate efforts to tackle Boko Haram, ISWAP, and other insurgent groups. Strengthen partnerships with global security agencies. Overhaul procurement processes to ensure transparency and efficiency.

Emphasizing innovation and technology will be crucial: advanced surveillance, AI‑driven threat analysis, and regional cooperation can make guerrilla warfare more predictable and attackers more accountable. With his extensive experience and proven track record, General Musa is well‑positioned to bring positive change to Nigeria’s defence sector.

Dukawa write it from Kano,can be reached at abbahydukawa@gmail.com

Opinion

When Former Commissioners, LG Chairmen Endorse DSP Barau

Published

3 days ago

December 2, 2025

Nigerian Tracker

By Abba Anwar

Politics, at whatever rate, is a matter of choice and process selection. When political actors, become impregnated with uncertainties, double speak/standard, coordinated lies and enduring loose ends, result will be goofed end.

Agreed, All Progressives Congress (APC) in Kano has been in disarray, immediately after the Supreme Court judgement of 2023 gubernatorial election result. But nothing or very little is being done to genuinely and honestly ameliorate the situation. The major crisis is that of disunity, mistrust and master-servant relationship between and among leaders and followers.

Another major dilemma, as far as party cohesion is concerned, particularly among leaders, is who becomes flagbearer of gubernatorial ticket come 2027, at the expense of all other elective positions. This, creates an ocean of gap between gubernatorial aspirants and their supporters. Genuine or fake supporters.

From the Supreme Court judgement of 2023 gubernatorial election result, to date, almost all the aspirants, including the then flagbearers, Gawuna – Garo ticket, came to know, who their real and genuine people, within the party, are. From that time to date, individual choices are examined and partitioned according to their political needs and engagement.

Switching over across political preferences, overtly or covertly, are fast manifesting. Loyalty, both divided and unwavering, are taking more shapes and directions. This is also a fact, attached to party leaders, elders and all other stakeholders. From ward level to local government level up to state level.

Looking at the political space, within the context of APC in Kano, we have gubernatorial aspirants in the persons of the current Deputy Senate President, Distinguished Senator Barau I Jibrin, CFR, the 2023 gubernatorial candidate, His Excellency Nasiru Yusuf Gawuna and his running mate, His Excellency Murtala Sule Garo, AA Zaura and others who are being lured in a deceitful manner, to join the race.

It appears to many recently that, the space is becoming clearer and gloomy to some. As 2027 is fast approaching, many things started evolving from within. While leaders and stakeholders are using the situation to cash out, few others see more opportunities for enduring political choice. Created by the current situation and time.

It is from the standpoint of this scenario, enduring political choice, that former Commissioners and former local governments Chairmen, decided to take a queue towards the direction of DSP Barau. Though immediately after the Commissioners visit to the DSP, and after DSP’s Facebook handle revealed that, the former Commissioners were at his office for a solidarity visit, one of the former Commissioners, Mutari Ishaq Yakasai, was on air blaming that disclosure as misleading and concocted lie.

Explaining further that, they were at DSP’s office to thank him for appointing some of their members, former Commissioners, to position in his office. While he (Barau) also facilitated the appointment of some of them to other positions.

Before Yakasai came on air dismissing Barau’s Facebook post, there were stories everywhere, that one of those who visited Barau in his office, amongst the former Commissioners, rejected DSP’s Facebook post, that they were there for a solidarity visit, as 2027 was fast approaching. But all the stories did not reveal the identity of the very person, who rejected DSP’s revelation. Then came Yakasai’s disclosure.

Just few hours after that, another former Commissioner who was also there during the visit, Kabiru Ado Lakwaya, went to the air and was carried in many stories, that, they were all there and paid a solidarity visit to the DSP. Explaining further that, they all agreed to support him for his 2027 gubernatorial ambition. When Lakwaya revealed that, there were arguments, from all ends. Some dismissing his claim as misleading and unbecoming of a man of his caliber.

After him, another former Commissioner, Musa Iliasu Kwankwaso, came on air supporting Lakwaya’s submission, in a very clever way. But a good listener, could deduce the main substance of his narrative. That, everyone has the right to support anybody of his choice. Arguing that, it was only a political choice, that all are entitled to.

What gave clearer perspective was a video clip that came from DSP Barau’s media unit, presenting the visit of the former Commissioners, live and direct. In that clip, some of the former Commissioners, whose remarks were shown, were all clear and categorical that, they were at DSP’s office to put their weight behind him. Adding that, part of their appreciation, for his intervention in the survival and development of the party, APC, was to tell him that, they would support him in all his political ambitions.

That clip put a stop to all the debates about what took the former Commissioners to the Deputy Senate President. Nothing was also heard again from either Yakasai or any other person.

Another similar visit was that of the former local governments Chairmen. Who also paid a visit to the DSP. Which the Senator in his own Facebook handle, disclosed that the former Chairmen were at his office to pay him a solidarity visit, towards 2027 elect.

In their own case also, after the visit, there were hues and cries that some of them alleged to have denied that they were there for a solidarity visit. But to the chagrin of all, unlike former Commissioners, none of the former local government Chairmen came to public and denounce what the DSP said on his Facebook handle. That they, were there to put their weight behind him.

The way I see it, is this, that, some people hide behind some teleguided wishes, acting behind the script of self – serving choice, leaving behind outer-wishes and engagement. While Kano APC is still intact, from the periphery , so many important stakeholders, understand why they should roam about and fix themselves into, what they think is better for them.

But the thing is, while unity is paramount and necessary for the party, sincerity of purpose and honest relationship, are prerequisite for victory come 2027. Among the aspirants we have there are very few of them, whom I can vouch that they are not in the race as do or die affair. Yes they have clean mind for it. And they understand its chemistry, opportunities and challenges. So working hand in hand with them, is not only deserving, but necessary.

Agreed, former Commissioners and former local governments Chairmen, are entitle to their political choice, they have a lot to offer in reconciling all parts within the larger body of the party. So also all other former this or former that, who held positions during the reign of the former Governor, Abdullahi Umar Ganduje. What we all need is sincerity of purpose, transparent political engagement and unscathed political choice.

While former Commissioners and former local governments Chairmen are probably shifting ground, I want DSP Barau to have it at the back of his mind that, he shouldn’t expect them all to support him at this stage. Some could be waiting for the natural process to take its cause. Not knowing that they are part of the natural process. But at whatever length, former this or former that, have every right to take their political direction, at their own pace, we should all know that, the overall aim is the victory of the party during polls.

Unity of the party is necessary at any cost. As integrity and honesty are necessary from the part of our leaders, followers should know that any tragedy in future, if care is not taken, will be harsher on them, as mere subjects. Take it or leave it. Unity is important to the party, as air is important to life.

Anwar writes from Kano
Tuesday, 2nd December, 2025

Opinion

Re: Governor Abba Don’t Play Politics With Insecurity: Replying Senator Barau

Published

6 days ago

November 29, 2025

Nigerian Tracker

By Abdullahi Hafiz

I read with keen interest a press statement issued by Senator Barau I. Jibrin’s media office calling on Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf not to politicise the issue of insecurity.

The Deputy President of the Senate, Senator Barau I. Jibrin, has urged Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf of Kano State to refrain from politicising the challenges of insecurity and instead focus on addressing the numerous problems bedevilling the state under his watch.

The statement, which is replete with hollow reasons and unsubstantiated claims, has now also exposed the Deputy Senate President’s non-awareness of the true state of politics and politicking and even the welfare of the people he claims to represent — the people of Kano North.

Senator Barau’s likeness for attention in Kano has drawn many people into deception, thinking that the senator, who is also the second in command at the legislature, is always trying to prove what is not on ground since his election into the Senate in the year 2015.

In one way or the other, as a lawmaker and the highest-ranking one for that matter, Senator Barau’s development agenda is only being seen in the pages of newspapers and the digital media.

As he mentioned through Ismail Mudassir that the Kano State Government should not play with the issue of insecurity, it left many people wondering and wandering what Senator Barau meant.

In a situation whereby the community which Senator Barau came from — the Kano North Senatorial District — is now vulnerable to insurgent attacks as it shares borders with many communities in Katsina that were ravaged by banditry, it is very appalling and takes one to unease.

Security, apart from protecting lives and properties, includes ensuring a motorable road for your constituents, which is one of the safest means of security.

For example, the Kano–Gwarzo Road was awarded since Senator Barau’s entry into the Senate 10 years ago, and he was instrumental in awarding the contract for the total rehabilitation of the road. Unfortunately, by the time you bypass a section of Kano metropolis after BUK and Janguza Barracks, what you will encounter as a driver up to Kano’s border with Katsina is an unmotorable road linking Kano to Dayi.

The road is in total disrepair, and it was Senator Barau who brought the motion for re-awarding the construction of the road since 2015.

The question the majority of the constituents are asking is why the road is still in a state of disrepair when most of the federal roads in southern Nigeria were completed.

Leaving a major unmotorable road in your constituency, which you brought in 2015, is one of the serious disasters of insecurity, incompetence, and retardation of the progress of Kano, which you accused Governor Abba of.

As Governor of Kano State, Alhaji Abba Kabir Yusuf is the Chief Security Officer of the state, and Kano is at his heart. He has not aided any sabotage in undermining the security of the state like the way you were accused of.

During the social media popular programme Fashin Baki anchored by Barrister Bulama Bukarti, Abba Hikima, Nasiru Salisu Zango, and Jaafar Jaafar, investigative journalist Jaafar Jaafar accused you of being instrumental in undermining the well-being of Kano and its people. Still, your media office or spokesperson did not offer any rebuttal to that accusation. Are you afraid that journalist Jaafar Jaafar may have cogent reasons for making those allegations against you?

“Jaafar Jaafar said a lot of people are pointing accusing fingers at the APC National Chairman, Dr. Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, of undermining the security and well-being of Kano, but people should know that Senator Barau is at the forefront.”

On the claim by Senator Barau’s media office about providing support to security agencies, Governor Abba, who was mandated by the Constitution of Nigeria to do that, has surpassed you. The main issue some of us from Kano North are daring you to tell us, for our own security of lives and properties, is the issue of Gwarzo Road, which you supervised its reconstruction. But what happened in ten years since you entered the Red Chamber as Chairman and head of an important Committee of Appropriation?

Now that you are the Deputy Senate President, what happened to the multiple awards of contracts on that road?

Comrade Abdullahi Hafiz wrote from Kano