1 day Ago By .
By Habibu Yaya BAPPAH Leaders are framed and moulded by the situations they face. The starting point may be known in the journey of a leader, but the process and end are open to situations and how the leader understands and handles them. This is the case for Prof Kabiru Bala, who assumed the leadership of Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, as the 13th Vice-Chancellor on 1st May, 2020.
His mandate ended on 30th April, 2025. It was marked by an unprecedented number of challenges which he navigated with great success. The first was the national lockdown arising from the Covid-19 pandemic, which affected all universities.
He led ABU to paddle through the stormy situation, which saw the calendar of universities disrupted and adjusted to make up for the months lost from global shut down. He also led the introduction of online classes and other digital academic activities. The second challenge was a case against the University which saw the loss of over N2.
5 billion belonging to the institution as a result of a garnishee order. This was over the case of some academic staff that were dismissed during the era of military administration of the University. For a period, ABU had no real resources to run on.
The third was the situation of high and unsustainable electricity bills, which saw the two campuses of the university disconnected for months over its inability to pay the sum of over N1 billion it owed the electricity company. ABU’s monthly electricity bill is over N80 million on an overhead that is less than N200 million per annum. The fourth was the prolonged nationwide strike of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), which crippled academic activities across the country.
Through all these situations, Prof Kabiru Bala successfully managed and led the university out of the situation and is leaving behind a stable academic institution full of promises for the future. I can vividly remember that on one of my visits to the institution after a long period of absence from the University, I noticed a remarkably calm and neat campus with activities running very well. I was impressed and could not help but mention to him how ‘happy’ the campus looks despite all the challenges.
Besides handling the crises, Prof Kabiru Bala led the University to attain impressive rankings among Nigerian universities. He also supported students’ academic competitions at both national and international levels, winning awards and accolades. He also promoted collaborations and linkages.
Within the University, the outgoing Vice-Chancellor actively supported intellectual discussions, and he personally attended many public lectures, and symposiums organised by Faculties and Departments within the University since the time he took over. Prof Kabiru Bala was also a mentor. During his time in office, he promoted many young academics and appointed them to positions of leadership in the Faculties, Institutes and Centres of the University.
In an era where university learning is facing serious external challenges, such as the use of AI tools, it is the young academics that can lead the exploitation of technology for the benefit of the teaching and learning environment easily and effectively. We must, therefore, encourage young academics to lead within our campuses. As he bows out and takes a step into his future endeavours, let us celebrate a leader who helped Ahmadu Bello University to weather the storms and emerge once again as a shining example of academic excellence in Nigeria and beyond.
Congratulations, Prof Kabiru Bala! Long live ABU, Zaria! UPDATE NEWS: Nigerians can now earn US Dollars through domain flipping, buy domain names for cheap and have it resold to earn up to $15,000. Click here to start and get PROOF. Join Daily Trust WhatsApp Community For Quick Access To News and Happenings Around You.
.
