By Mahdi Waziri Isa
Professor Abdullahi Mustapha, former Vice-Chancellor of Ahmadu Bello University (ABU), has charged the institution’s new helmsman, Professor Adamu Ahmed, to maintain unwavering focus and inclusive leadership in steering Nigeria’s premier university.
The ex-VC delivered this counsel while leading a high-powered delegation from the Committee for Implementation of Proposed Trust University of Nigeria on a congratulatory visit to the 13th substantive VC.
Describing the ABU vice-chancellorship as “a hot seat,” Prof. Mustapha expressed confidence in his successor’s capacity, stating: “The University needs leadership, development and progress…with Prof. Ahmed at the helm of affairs, ABU would receive much more and everything that would take the institution to greater heights.”
Prof. Mustapha particularly emphasized the strategic importance of developing Phase II of the university, a project he initiated, to decongest the overburdened main campus.
In his response, Professor Ahmed acknowledged the visiting committee members as “elders who had committed a lot for ABU’s development” and pledged to advance the Phase II project as a critical institutional legacy.
The new VC assured continued collaboration, noting: “ABU would give all necessary support towards establishing Trust University of Nigeria to further boost education in the North and Nigeria as a whole.”
The historic meeting saw participation from ABU’s leadership cadre including Deputy VCs Professors Ahmed Doko Ibrahim and Sanusi Aliyu Rafindadi, underscoring the significance of this transition in Nigeria’s academic leadership landscape.