The great Abu Zaria @63: ahead always

Sir Ahmadu Bello, Sardaunan Sokoto, the first and last premier of northern Nigeria, together with the members of his cabinet, were the founding fathers of the Ahmadu Bello University (Abu), Zaria. He was not only a visionary leader and statesman, but also a nationalist and patriotic enthusiast who believed in the development of Nigeria’s educational and social systems through the emancipation of people.

Sir Bello did not achieve a degree. However, after including the concept of university, he dreamed of creating one that really embodied the name “University” by promoting a universal understanding of cultural, social and religious diversity combined through intellectual excellence. Sir Bello founded the Abu, located in Zaria, a central hub in the northern region, about 80 kilometers from Kaduna, the capital of the region, and about 500 kilometers from Sokoto, the former headquarters of the Caliphate. If he had been a politician today, he would have located it in his ancestral hometown, Rabba.

Sir beautiful had a clear vision of how knowledge could conquer the world without shooting a single blow. He realized that achieving educational excellence requires merit, hard work and dedication, without space for nepotism, racism, tribalism or religious prejudices. His vision became the central pillar on which Abu Zaria was built. Sixty -three years later, Abu Zaria, an academic octopus, was up to the vision and expectations of his founder. Unfortunately, four years after the creation of Abu Zaria, Bello Sir was brutally assassinated together with his wife by diabolical repressive agents disguised as “revolutionary” guards, culminating in the civil war in Nigeria, with hundreds of thousands of people who paid very high prices. The rest is history.

Today, Abu Zaria is the place where the sons and daughters of 774 LGA throughout the nation meet to study, live, discuss, celebrate and dream, since the university not only admits students but also welcomes Nigeria herself, acting as a undeniable icon of the construction of the nation. While the colleagues of the abbu serve as regional universities, the Abu is national in the blood, in the spirit and breath. Walking through the University of Nigeria, NSUKKA, the IGBO language and culture are clearly visible in every corner. The University of Ibadan and the OBAFEMI Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, immerse visitors in the rich culture and traditions of the Yoruba people.

This diversity makes Abu unique and highly admirable, with spectacular results in the production of leaders and influencers of Nigeria. The proof of this result is seen in the former students of the University, which include a former president, two former vice -presidents of Nigeria and the former SGF, together with over 100 current and former ministers, governors and deputies in all states. The Abu has produced numerous vicerers for other universities, high -ranking officials in all three government branches, leader of the sector and successful entrepreneurs and professionals in various fields.

Thousands of doctors, engineers, social scientists and other professionals have graduated from theob and are impacting all over the world. The contribution of the EBU to the development of Nigeria is significant and has no equal in any other university of Nigeria and the West Africa region.

Abu Zaria has achieved numerous successes in various fields of human and national development. Although space and time prevent an in -depth examination of all the most important goals, it is worth highlighting some gigantic results of the last decade.

Like all systems created by man, progress and results of a university are guided by its leadership, just as stagnation and regression are. In April 2015, Prof. Ibrahim Garba unexpectedly became the eleventh Vicerettore of the Abbia Zaria. After the initial enthusiasm for his surprise appointment, Prof. Garba focused on the university governance. His five years of leadership have enormously raised Abu to impressive levels both horizontally and vertically. He has insisted his restoration program, based on reforming principles, refocalization and reinvigoring. He was a skilled supporter, strongly promoting the restoration efforts of the Ebu among the prominent personalities at national level who offered a vital support to the university.

The faculty of science was divided into two: the faculty of life sciences and the faculty of physical sciences. The Faculty of Medicine has been transformed into a college of medical sciences with four new faculties. The Abu Business School and the distance learning center were established and during the mandate of Prof. Garba, an average annual increase of 30 students was reached. The gigantic company of Garba was the realization of the Abu Phase II project, conceived in 2012, without progress to be shown until 2015. Phase II was created as a “third campus” for the university. Professor Garba courted Dangote to support the University with ten blocks of 36 rooms each, with gardens and other structures for a value of over two billion naira.

Thanks to this generous support, Dangote has made the greatest donation in the history of the University. In the shortest possible time several infrastructure projects were born, which cover the entire phase II: three blocks, 50 rooms each (student hostel), construction of the computer science, building, urban and regional (URP) and geomatic planning departments, construction of a double roadway that connects the main campus with phase II. The ICT HUB was donated by the National Agency for the development of information technology (Nithda). The place became a hive of activity as the departments and students moved there.

Another noteworthy result was transforming Abu into an HUB for three African centers of excellence (ACE): Neglected Tropical Diseases & Forensic Biotechnology (AcentDFB), New Pedagogies in Engineering Education (Agenpee) and, more recently, Sustainable Procurement, Environmental, and Social Standards (Spessce). Thanks to the dedication of Prof. Garba and his team, Abu Zaria has become the only university in Nigeria with so many ace, all assigned on the basis of the competitive merit during the period in question.

Another significant and successful step was taken in 2018 with the launch of a joint degree program in traffic and transport engineering, railway engineering and equipment engineering and control with Central South University (CSU) in Changsha, China. Based on our aligned curriculum, 300 level students of civil and mechanical engineering programs at Abu can complete the remaining two years (of the five -year program) at CSU to simultaneously achieve both the degree in Engineering from Abu and CSU. Although the subsequent university leadership unfortunately interrupted the program, the first and second beneficiary have completed their studies, many of whom have had an impact on global railway technology.

Garba’s mandate marked an important milestone in staff promotions, with all qualified people who satisfied the criteria that promptly received their promotions. The promotion campaign increased the number of ibibu professors from 356 in 2015 to 550 at the beginning of 2020, an increase of 54%, the largest ever recorded in Abu. Today, no other university in Nigeria has many professors such as Abu Zaria. Certainly, Abu Zaria has experienced significant intellectual growth as a learning center during Garba’s mandate, but not without challenges. Have your inheritance continues? The University turned 63 on Saturday 4 October 2025, as a symbol of resilience, and continues to move forward. What are the current challenges and prospects? What is the situation today in Abu Zaria? Is the university creating the vision of its founding fathers? How can abusites and their friends support Abu Zaria in his continuous progress? To be completed next week.