By Waziri Isa Adam, Abuja
The Governing Council of the Federal University of Technology, Minna has approved the promotion of 32 academic staff to professorial ranks, in what is now the university’s largest single professorial elevation in recent years. The decision was taken at the Council’s 163rd Meeting held on Tuesday, April 28, 2026, at the Academic Publishing Centre, Main Campus, and signals a major reinforcement of FUTMINNA’s teaching and research capacity across core STEM disciplines.
The breakdown shows 16 Associate Professors were elevated to the rank of Professor, while 16 Senior Lecturers were promoted to Associate Professor. Promotions without asterisks take effect from October 1, 2025. Two cases marked with asterisks, Abubakar Sadiq Mohammed of Telecommunications Engineering and Unekwu Jonathan Adama of Estate Management and Valuation, have their promotions backdated to October 1, 2024.
The new Professors include Emmanuel Daniya of Crop Production; Babawuya Alkali of Mechatronics Engineering; Abubakar Sadiq Mohammed of Telecommunications Engineering; Ezekiel Babatunde Ogunbode of Building; Haruna Danladi Musa and Idowu Olusegun Owoye, both of Urban and Regional Planning; Tumeka Elizabeth Eterigho of Chemical Engineering; Hausatu Babayi of Microbiology; Raihanatu Muhammad of Mathematics; and a strong contingent from Physics comprising Ismaila Oyelakin Olarinoye, Kingsley Chidozie Igwe, Joel Aghaegbunam Ezenwora, and Aku Godwin Ibrahim. Others elevated to full Professors are Amina Gogo Tafida of the General Studies Unit, Wahab Bamidele Kareem of Industrial and Technology Education, and Gide-on Adesina Babalola of Library and Information Science.
The 16 newly minted Associate Professors are Ozoemena Anthony Uzoma of Soil Science and Land Management; Abu Ogaji of Agricultural Economics and Farm Management; Eustace Manayi Dogo of Computer Engineering; Stephen Seyi Oyewobi of Telecommunications Engineering; Adeyosoye Babatunde Ayoola, Rukayat Adeola Ogunbajo, and Unekwu Jonathan Adama, all of Estate Management and Valuation; Polycarp Olaku Alumbugu of Quantity Surveying; Aliyu Haxy Dikko of Animal Production Technology; Samaila James of Food Science and Technology; Fatima Mohammad Madaki of Biochemistry; Shakirudeen Ishola Yusuf of Industrial Mathematics; Omananyi Razaq Jimoh and Samuel Abu Somma of Mathematics; Olayiwola Matthew Adetutu of Statistics; and Felicia Chibuogwu Chike-Okoli of the General Studies Unit.
The promotion exercise shows clear depth in the basic and applied sciences. The School of Physical Sciences produced nine of the 32 elevations, with five new Professors in Physics and four new Associate Professors across Mathematics, Industrial Mathematics, and Statistics. The School of Environmental Technology also recorded seven promotions, strengthening its faculty in Building, Urban and Regional Planning, Estate Management and Valuation, and Quantity Surveying. Engineering, Agriculture, and Technology Education schools accounted for the remaining slots, ensuring broad institutional coverage.
University sources say the new professorial cadre is expected to expand postgraduate supervision, improve mentorship for early-career academics, and position FUTMINNA for larger slices of the TETFund National Research Fund and international research collaborations. The concentration of promotions in Physics, Mathematics, and Environmental Technology aligns with national priorities in energy, infrastructure, climate resilience, and data science.