Left: The Managing Editor of Daily Struggle newspaper interviews the outgoing Vice-Chancellor of Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, during a fa...
 |
| Left: The Managing Editor of Daily Struggle newspaper interviews the outgoing Vice-Chancellor of Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, during a farewell interaction with journalists at his office. |
On Monday, April 22, a team of journalists in Zaria—including our Managing Editor, Ammar Muhammad Rajab, and Reporter, Nidala Muhammad Rabiu—visited the outgoing Vice Chancellor of Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, Professor Kabir Bala. In an exclusive interview, Professor Bala reflected on his tenure as Vice Chancellor, discussing his achievements, the challenges he faced, what he will miss most about the role, and more. Below is the full transcript of the interview, as documented by our Managing Editor, Ammar Muhammad Rajab.
DAILY STRUGGLE: what do you consider your greatest achievement during your tenure AS VC of the University?
ABU VC Prof. Kabir Bala: Thank you very much. You know, you ask individual questions, but as for achievements, I wouldn’t say they’re my achievements—rather, what my team and I have achieved. And I would say, any day, that the greatest achievement is the peaceful coexistence that Ahmadu Bello University has experienced. This is a very tough task—staying in peace, living in peace in Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria—because of its complexity. You know, it’s the most cosmopolitan university. Every religion, every tribe, every kind of person is represented in ABU. They all come with their idiosyncrasies, their traditions, their norms, their ethos.
But we’ve been able, in the last five years, to remain very, very peaceful. I think that’s the greatest achievement—not my personal achievement, but the achievement of this administration. And it’s one that has been made possible by the contributions of many, many other people.
DAILY STRUGGLE: So looking back, is there anything you wish you had done differently?
ABU VC Prof. Kabir Bala: I don’t think there’s anything I would have done differently. I know we had a very short time. I think it should be put on record that during my 60-month tenure in this administration, the school was actually open for only about 36 months. So, in reality, we had a three-year tenure, not a five-year tenure. So whatever you see—whatever you call achievement—was achieved in three years, rather than five. We simply didn’t have enough time. But like I said, my team and I, along with many, many others, contributed to the vision we had from the start. And in spite of the constraints we encountered, I believe we were able to largely achieve most of that vision. I think I wouldn’t have done anything differently.
DAILY STRUGGLE: So how will you describe your leadership style and how did it evolve over time?
ABU VC Prof. Kabir Bala: What I practice is what you’d call an open-door policy. Even a primary school pupil, a secondary school student—they’ve all sought appointments with the VC, and I’ve always made time for them. I’ve met with anyone who wanted to speak, whether they were students, employees, or even neighbors from the surrounding communities. We’ve managed our relationships this way, with accessibility being key. So, yes, I would call it an open-door policy. That’s my leadership style. It’s contributed significantly because we’ve always listened to and accepted advice when appropriate, from anyone who had good suggestions. This is why I say that the achievements of this administration are the result of many stakeholders working together—everyone who contributed. It’s the open-door policy that we operated under.
DAILY STRUGGLE: So as your tenure comes to an end. What legacy do you hope to leave behind?
ABU VC Prof. Kabir Bala: Legacy of peaceful existence, because without peace, it’s difficult to make progress. I hope this thing we have been able to achieve will continue to subsist.
DAILY STRUGGLE: What were the most challenges you face as VC? How do you overcome them?
ABU VC Prof. Kabir Bala: Well, one: I told you, with the constraints of time because of COVID-19, which took about seven months, and the ASUU strike, which lasted about one year, and the period when the school was completely closed for about two years. That was one of the most challenging things. Two: The accounts of the university were garnished. In spite of the limited resources, the little that we had was garnished. Today, we have not been able to recover the money, but I hope we will in due course. We also had no council for about 20 months. As you recall, our last Chairman of the council passed away, may his soul rest in peace, and for about nine months, no new one was appointed. Then the council was dissolved for another 12 months. Perhaps that was a constraint; it was very difficult to work because all the approvals and policy directions came from the council, and without the council, it was very, very difficult to operate. We had stop-gap arrangements, obtaining approvals from the Minister of Education, but it’s not the same as having a functioning council in place. Also, as you know, funding for universities is very, very low, and that is a constraint every day. To the extent that we were unable to pay our electricity bills, and for the first time in the history of ABU, you recall that electricity was disconnected. Another time, it was disconnected for one month, and on another occasion, for one day. But we were able to manage because other universities experienced disconnections for five months, four months, three months—but these things might not have made the news. Anything that happens at ABU is news, but in other places, it may not be as publicised. I don’t think there’s any public university that didn’t have their electricity disconnected, but only ABU made the news. And for us, the maximum was one month; other universities had disconnections for up to five months or four months. I won’t mention them, but you can find out for yourselves. So, these were some of the major challenges we faced. And by God’s grace, we’re happy. We thank the Almighty Allah that we were able to navigate through this and come this far.
DAILY STRUGGLE: So what were your strategies for navigating funding and infrastructure constraint, academic and infrastructure development?
ABU VC Prof. Kabir Bala: Yes, for academic development, we managed. You know, academicians are very, very resilient. We were able to manage with the little resources that we had. We made adjustments in the way we ran our affairs. It was very difficult—very, very difficult. For instance, if you’re going for field work, say to Jos, we’d tell you, “Please, try to do it in Zaria.” Take the Department of Geology, for example. They go for fieldwork to study rocks, and we said, “Well, we have rocks around Zaria. Why not limit the journey and study here?” Of course, that journey from Zaria to Jos is another experience—the students might have lost that—but the core objective of the program could still be achieved with the same rocks in Zaria. That’s just an example. Then we also reduced consumption considerably—you know, electricity consumption as much as possible. In some cases where we used diesel, we reduced consumption by limiting the hours. Of course, with some pain. For instance, if you need diesel to pump water, you might need it for 24 hours. But sometimes, we pumped for 12 hours and let the pumps rest for the other 12 hours. We did that intermittently, which helped cut down costs. We also rationed electricity to some extent—not hugely significant, but it helped. And then we cut wastage, in many areas beyond just electricity. So these were some of the strategies we employed to reduce the total effect on academics. In terms of infrastructure, what we did was reach out to philanthropists and government agencies for additional interventions in the university—and we had some remarkable success. Similarly, for research, we increased funding through grants. We enlightened, educated, and informed our staff about various available avenues. And you’ll see that in the last five years, funding through grants in ABU has increased considerably. That has helped supplement the inadequate funding for research. So, that’s how we approached things—for research, for teaching, and for infrastructure. These were some of the strategies we employed to reduce the impact of underfunding in the university.
DAILY STRUGGLE: Okay, what partnership or collaboration, national or international Are you proud of?
ABU VC Prof. Kabir Bala: Proud of? There are quite a number. We have a collaboration with the International Atomic Energy Agency—‘Internet Laboratory.’ That’s a very, very important one. ABU was invited to Vienna to sign that contract. They call it a contract of collaboration, and we are supposed to—and indeed we are—helping other laboratories through interconnection with the Center for Energy Research. We have another very important one: the International Institute of Online Education (IIOE), under the auspices of UNESCO-ICHEI. So, we have a smart classroom built in ABU, and we have the Nigeria National Center, which has recently been upgraded to a regional center for the whole West Africa region. So far, the region relies on this center. There are high-level trainings for teachers at various levels of tertiary education—on digital skills, digital education. That’s a very, very important one. We also have collaborations—just to mention a few—with the Federal Ministry of Agriculture, particularly in terms of increasing milk production from our livestock, through the National Animal Production Research Institute. Then there’s the East-West Seed Knowledge Transfer Foundation (EWS-KT). You can Google that one—it’s very, very important. I consider it extremely important because it’s based right in the university community. Members of the university community are being trained, but also members of the larger community—especially our women—are being trained in what we call domestic agriculture. You can produce all the vegetables you want in a small yard in your house. All year round. So, the women don’t have to spend money—or spend the men’s money—buying vegetables. That’s a very important one. I think you may want to find out more about that one. These are just some of the very important ones. We have plenty. We also have, for instance, a collaboration with Nagasaki University in Japan, and it’s under the “One Health” initiative. You know, we’re going with One Health now. So it involves both research and training. That’s another very important one. Quite a number of them.
DAILY STRUGGLE: Is there any policies or initiatives you implement to improve student life and welfare?
ABU VC Prof. Kabir Bala: Yes, you know ABU is one of the most subscribed universities in Nigeria—if not the most subscribed university. So, that brings about another problem: hostel accommodation. We, as a university—not only before me, and I think even after me—have always preferred, as a policy, to have all our students on campus. But we can’t, because for a long time, the government stopped the provision of hostels on university campuses—until recently. That was why, at one point, we had to stop accommodating certain levels. The vulnerable ones were accommodated. I called 100 level and 200 level students vulnerable because they’re just coming into town. They don’t know anybody. But someone in 300 or 400 level would have acclimatized and can manage. And also, especially the females—we want 100% of them on campus. So, as a result of that policy, you’ll see that Suleiman Hall—the biggest male hall, maybe in Africa—they say it’s the biggest hostel in Africa—and Alex and Ribadu were converted to female hostels so that more females could be accommodated. We want, at any point, 100% accommodation for females because they are more vulnerable. The boys—we believe they’ll be able to take care of themselves somehow. But it’s not the ideal. The ideal is to have all of them on campus, because we have to monitor their conduct. The degree is for character and learning. So, if you don’t have 100% control, you won’t be able to attest to their character at one point. Be that as it may, it’s one of the things we’ve tried to do. And I think we’ve built about four hostels—two on the main campus, and two in Shika—because the College of Medicine has developed, has grown. So, we have more students in the College of Medical Sciences going to Shika. We’ve also renovated quite a number: the whole of ICSA/RAMAT, and then Danfodio. And the MayBedde Hostel is ongoing—I think it’s almost 100% complete. Two: we’ve tried to offer scholarships to needy students as much as possible within the university, even within the constraints that we have. Everyone tries to accommodate as many as possible, especially the vulnerable ones. We’ve also, in that regard, tried to attract other donors to come and offer scholarships to those in need—with remarkable success. The DVC Advancement just came in; he was responsible for one of these initiatives—Opay, who came and gave very good support. You can see it—I’ll show you their cheque. They gave students, I think, ₦100,000 per annum to a number of students, and recently, they’ve increased that number. We thank the DVC for this effort. These are some of the ways. Three: we’ve expanded the sporting facilities. You know, they say “all work and no play makes Jack a dull boy.” But beyond that, these young people have a lot of energy, so sports—which many people may not remember—is something that keeps them alive, and keeps their minds away from other things, so they can use their energy positively. So it was a deliberate attempt to expand sporting facilities and improve sporting activities around the campus. And we’ve had some remarkable success. We revived the ABU Football Club—the famous football club. They’re in Division I League now, which was dead for some time. If you go to the sports complex, you’ll see the facilities we’ve provided at the popular stands. I think we’ve constructed four, so the stadium is almost complete now. Lawn Tennis Court, Basketball Court, Ball Court—which we never had in ABU—and then Volleyball Court. Of course, in the old gymnasium, the indoor area had Basketball, Badminton, and Lawn Tennis. So these are just a few things we’ve done in terms of student welfare. In fact, I didn’t even realize it until now that you asked me—I’m just remembering that a lot has been done so far Before I finish, let me bring up one very important thing that this administration did—with the help of Senate. I think this should be on record. In fact, more than anything else, they introduced the “receipt” for final-year students. Under the semester system, the way we operated it, once you have a “receipt,” it means you have one year to go—even if it’s just one course, a core course. So this administration took a proposal to Senate: “Look, why are we keeping a student for one, two, or even three or four courses for one whole year?” First, the turnover is very important. Turnover means the difference between the number of students who register for a program in one year and the number who graduate at the end of the program. So, if a program is four years, and you register X number of students today, how many of them graduate in four years’ time? That is a very, very important metric. This affects ABU a lot in terms of these carry-overs—our ranking, our status internationally. So, the Senate accepted it. It was a very, very good thing. The first year we implemented that policy, I think we graduated about 38,000 students—unprecedented in the history of this university. 38,000 and a few hundred students. Unprecedented in the history of ABU undergraduate students. And this year, it has also shown results. I think this is very important for student welfare—so parents are happy. You don’t have to keep your child for one year—two semesters—just because of two courses. One in the first semester, and another in the second semester. And then all the costs that go with that—maintenance cost of the student on campus, the anxiety of having your child far away from home—whether in Zaria, Port Harcourt, Libya, or wherever. That’s very important.
DAILY STRUGGLE: so as your tenure comes to an end. What advice would you give to your successor?
ABU
VC Prof. Kabir Bala: All these
things we have mentioned—first, I will say that you should try as much as
possible to keep the peace. Some of these things I mentioned were achieved
because there was peace on campus. So, keep the peace at whatever cost. And
sometimes, to keep the peace, it’s not without cost—either tangible or
intangible. That, I think, is the most important advice.
DAILY STRUGGLE: Where do you see ABU in the next ten years?
ABU VC Prof. Kabir Bala: This administration defined some strategies for ABU, and I want ABU—I hope it will get there—to be financially sustainable. Because this money that’s coming from the government… I’m not trying to sound overly pessimistic, but I don’t think it will improve anytime soon. So, the earlier institutions like ABU develop self-sustaining strategies, especially financially, the better for us. I want ABU to improve its revenue-generating capacity, and it has enormous potential to do this—if we get the right strategies, the right people, and the right frame of mind, we can make it. Two: I want us to continue to improve our ranking. You know, ABU is now the best public university in Nigeria. That was the result of very, very painstaking, deliberate efforts to get there. So we want to remain there, and then improve our ranking in Africa and in the world. The strategy we’ve set for ourselves is to be among the first 100 universities in the world. I want to see us there—among the top 100 best universities in the world. Right now, we’re among the first 1,000. I think we’ll be able to move up. We have all the potential—like I said, both material and human resources—ABU is not lacking in anything. Three: I want us to win a Nobel Prize. Yes, we have the potential to win a Nobel Prize. We have very, very dedicated scientists—very knowledgeable—doing fantastic work. This year, we targeted 10 patents to be registered. In 2024, we registered, I think, 13 patents—so three more than the target. So maybe this year, we’ll keep it at 10, and next year, we’ll say 20 and see how it goes. Because we can register 20 patents. I also want us to be the university with the highest patent registration in Nigeria—and even in Africa. Right now, we’re about number 20-something in Africa, if I remember correctly, in terms of patents—and Nigeria as a whole. Of course, most patents are registered by universities. So I want ABU to register the highest number of patents among universities in Africa, and to compete favorably with other universities around the world. This is where I want to see ABU. I want to see ABU with the best hostels for students in the world, the best facilities for staff in the world, the best living conditions. This is the ABU I dream of. And I believe that dream will happen—it’s just a matter of time.
DAILY STRUGGLE: What will you miss the most about being VC?
ABU VC Prof. Kabir Bala: Working. I like Working, so I will miss working, although I’m not likely to miss working. Somebody asked me, I have a lot of work to do, plenty, plenty of work, but you see, what I will miss is the interaction. Students are calling me, staff are calling me. I will go also to find out our animals, what is happening to them. Even Snakes. Are you aware we have snakes? Somebody say the lighter mood that we should install air conditioner for our snakes, because they are dying. They are for research. So we have to keep them alive and we have to provide the conditions. The correct ambience for them to survive. So this, the hustle and bustle is something that I will miss.
DAILY STRUGGLE: So how has this role impacted you, personally and professionally?
ABU VC Prof. Kabir Bala: Personally, I think it has humbled me, and I thank God for that one. I think I’m a humble person, but actually it has humbled me even more. When you’re in service…. On the serious note, you now see what it means to be in service and to offer service. And when you offer service, then you have to be very humble. Humility will be your watch what. I think that is one of greatest impacts this role has had on me.
DAILY STRUGGLE: What next for you after leaving office?
ABU VC Prof.
Kabir Bala: I don’t know.
I have some plans, but you see, I’ve discovered that if I mention my plans,
they get distorted. So maybe I should just keep quiet. But one thing is, I want
to rest a bit—but like I told you, not much—because I already have a lot of
work lined up for me. If I live long enough, I think for the next 10 years, I
have more than enough to chew.
DAILY STRUGGLE: The last question, if you could be remembered for one thing, what would it be?
ABU VC Prof. Kabir Bala: So, for leaving ABU and coming to serve as VC of ABU—peacefully, and living peacefully—and that’s, if you remember, that’s okay. Not a single strike by students, not a single strike by staff of all the unions. I haven’t fought with anybody—not a single individual. I think I should thank God for that, and I think it’s a legacy that we need to uphold in our Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria: peaceful coexistence. Peaceful coexistence—we can make a lot of progress. If there’s any other thing, it’s to say that my team and I identified something: that is, we have three core mandates in the university—teaching, research, and community service—and we said ABU was derailing a bit. One of the greatest things we have done is to try to refocus ABU on teaching, research, and community service. I think I may not have much to say, but if you check, you’ll see I have tried as much as possible to refocus and bring ABU back to our three core mandates of teaching excellence, research excellence, and community service. And with remarkable progress, which we are trying to compile—for posterity—so that we keep some of these things just for posterity, so that we can build on that.
No comments