By Waziri Isa Adam
Ahmadu Bello University Zaria has lost two Veteran Professors of Political Science and Pharmacognosy within a week.
The duo, Professor Yusuf Abdullahi Yakubu of Political Science department in the Faculty of Social Sciences, and Professor Ezzeldeen Mukhtar Abdulrahman of the department of Pharmacognosy in the Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, are reported to have all died after very brief illnesses.
Professor Yakubu who is a native of Funtua local government area of Katsina state, died on Friday 17th/11/2023, while six days later, yesterday, Thursday, 23/11/2023, Professor Ezzeldeen succumbed to Allah’s call. They have all been buried according to Islamic rites.
Professor Yakubu who was a one time Head of Political Science department was a very hardworking, erudite, down-to-earth, and friendly Scholar.
Professor Ezzeldeen Mukhtar Abdulrahman was a former Vice Chancellor of Kaduna State University, Kaduna, and Bauchi State University, Gadau.
He died after a brief illness in his house in Zaria where he had since returned to, after serving as Vice Chancellor in both Kaduna and Bauchi States.
Scholars, friends, colleagues, well-wishers and Students from Kaduna state University, Ahmadu Bello University Zaria and other parts of the country attended his burial ceremony which took place at 4:00 pm in his family house, Kofar Doka-Zaria.
Professor Abdurahman who is a native of Zaria Local Government Area, Kaduna State was born on 18 November 1957.
He attended Banha Primary School, Cairo, Egypt, from 1963 to 1969; Banha Preparation School, Cairo, Egypt, from 1969 to 1972; Banha Secondary School, Cairo, Egypt, from 1972 to 1975; and the Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Cairo University, Egypt, where he bagged his B.Pharm in 1980.
Abdurahman returned to Nigeria to further his academic career, and subsequently obtained his Master of Science and Ph.D degrees in Pharmacognosy from the Ahmadu Bello University (ABU) Zaria in 1986 and 1993 respectively. He also obtained an MBA in 1997 from the same institution.
He joined the services of Ahmadu Bello University in June 1983, and rose through the ranks to become a Professor in 2001. He served in various capacities in the University system. He was the Head of Department of Pharmacognosy and Drug Development and then Dean Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Ahmadu Bello University Zaria. He was appointed the pioneer Director to the School of Basic and Remedial Studies, ABU, Funtua campus, Katsina State. After serving for four years, He was appointed as the Vice-Chancellor of Kaduna State University, Kaduna State, for five years .He was the pioneer and founding Vice-Chancellor of Bauchi State University, Bauchi State.
He served as a Research Fellow in the School of Pharmacy King’s College, University of London, UK, and conducted research on “Nigerian Medicinal Plants Used in the treatment of HIV”. He supervised and graduated many Ph.D., and M.Sc. students in the field of Pharmacognosy.
He is a Fellow of the Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria (FPSN) and also a Fellow of the Postgraduate College of Pharmacist and He was the President of the Nigerian Society of Pharmacognosy.
A merit award winner of PSN-Kaduna State and PANS-ABU in 1994 and 1995 respectively, Professor Abdurahman is a Fellow of the West African Postgraduate College of Pharmacists (WAPCP); the Nigeria Academy of Pharmacy (NAPharm.) and the Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria (PSN).