By Usman Muhammad
A new Vice-Chancellor has emerged in Federal University Lafia (FULafia), Lafia, Nasarawa State.
He is Professor Shehu Abdur-Rahman, who, until his appointment by the Governing Council of the University, was the Dean of the Faculty of Agriculture.
A statement signed by the Public Relations Officer of the University, Malam Abubakar Ibrahim said Professor Abdul-Rahman emerged as the best candidate from a list of 43 people who contested for the position of the vice-chancellor.
His appointment was announced on Wednesday, November 25, 2020, during the 5th Regular Meeting of the Governing Council of FULafia.
The appointment of Abdur-Rahman was sequel to a thorough process that was carried out in accordance with the University Miscellaneous Amendment Act, 1993 and a consideration of the report of the Joint Council and Senate Selection Board.
Abdur-Rahman would succeed Professor Muhammad Sanusi Liman, whose tenure as the vice-chancellor comes to an end on February 10, 2021.
Shehu Abdul Rahman, the pioneer Vice-Chancellor of Federal University, Gashua, and former Deputy Vice-Chancellor (DVC) (Admin.), Nasarawa State University, Keffi, is a professor of Agricultural Economics. Prior to his appointment as DVC he was the Dean, Faculty of Agriculture at Nasarawa State University, Keffi. He obtained a Bachelor of Agriculture degree in 1993, M.Sc. Agric. Economics in 1998 and a Ph.D. in Agric. Economics in 2001, all from Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, Nigeria. His working experience spans from Assistant Lecturer at Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria in 1994 to a full Professor at Nasarawa State University, Keffi in 2008 at the age of 40. He is now in Federal University of Lafia in Nasarawa State. He has served in various capacities rendering administrative and community development services in addition to teaching and research. His research activities produced over one hundred (100) publications in both National and International Journals of repute. He has presented over sixty five (65) papers at various seminars, workshops and conferences. He has served as a consultant to Gesellschaft fur Technsche Zusammenarbeit (GTZ)(German Technical Agency) and World Bank. He has taught in the fields of Agricultural production Economics, Farm Management Economics, Econometrics and Statistics at Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria; Nasarawa State University, Keffi and Federal University of Lafia; and has been an External Examiner of both undergraduate and postgraduate students at various Universities in Nigeria. He has served as External Assessor of twenty four (24) candidates for promotion to Professorial positions in various Nigerian Universities. He was the Chairman of Association of Deans of Agriculture in Nigerian Universities for two years (May, 2010- May, 2012). He has also served in the university system as Chairman of over twenty (20) Committees and Member of over thirty (30) Committees.
In recognition of his involvement in many cultural and developmental activities in Umaisha Chiefdom he was turbaned as Shetima of Opanda on the 31st December, 2011. He is a Fellow of Nigerian Association of Agricultural Economists (FNAAE), Fellow of Horticultural Society of Nigeria (FHORTSON) and Fellow of African Scientific Institute (FASI).