Ahmadu Bello University Zaria (ABU) is to celebrate its Diamond Jubilee in October 2022. ABDULRAHEEM AODU therefore takes a look at how the association has impacted on the institution’s development and academic advancement.
It takes a lot of resources to build a standard university as much more resources are required to develop it, sustain and expand its scope into different areas of study for the purpose of academic advancement and achieve true academic excellence in a world-class university.
To develop the budgeoning university into an institution of great repute and international standard, all hands must be on deck, as support would be required from every willing friend including the products of the university.
To that extent, old students all over the world do come together to form alumni association in order to create a formidable platform to give back to their alma mater.
Objectives of ABU alumni association
The need to proffer the critical support for the university led the old students especially in the 60s to establish the Ahmadu Bello University Alumni Association. The alumni association, which later registered with Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC), started in Lagos with Late Arc (Chief) Fola Alade, Late Arc (Chief) Lai Balogun and Prof Awojobi as prominent pioneer members. As membership awareness increased with the tempo sustained into the 70’s and 80’s, more branches were formed in Delta, Plateau and Rivers states.
The founding fathers established ABU Alumni Association with the aim of promoting the tradition of academic excellence of the university and promoting Nigeria’s unity. The objectives of the association includes the promotion of the welfare, standards, prestige and good name of the university, encouraging close relationship between the university authorities, the staff, students, the association, the public and also provide assistance to the various components of the university.
The ABU Alumni Association equally intended to provide services and donations to charities, religious and educational organisations, explore co-operation with organisations that have similar aims and objectives within and outside Nigeria, institute a scholarship scheme and provide financial assistance to the indigent students, encourage members to support teaching and other activities in the university, promote co-operative spirit amongst members and encourage mutual self-help.
The association also aimed to organise from time to time, seminars, conferences, workshops, symposia, lectures and other similar activities for the articulation of common problems relating to the development of the society, undertake all such other things that are lawful, necessary and conducive to the attainment of the ideals of the association and the development of Nigeria.
Evolvement of the association
The alumni association boasts of a good working relationship with the Alumni Office now Directorate of University Advancement. A symbiotic relationship rather than competitive, which helps the two bodies to complement each other through ideas, projects and interventions for teaching, research and infrastructural development in the university.
Leadership
Though the ABU Alumni Association recorded low level of activities in the 90’s with only a few effective branches working with the national association, the association witnessed massive development during the Prof Abdullahi Mahadi’s- led administration that saw the importance of having vibrant branches and a strong national coordinating body. This was based on the realisation that with a strength of over 800,000 members across the world, ABU Alumni Association stands out among other alumni associations in Nigerian universities and also creating synergy of ‘giving back’ by the alumna and alumnae members.
The alumni was variously led between 1999 and 2021 by past presidents like Arc Mohammed Dewu (1999-2002); Malam Abubakar Gimba (2002-2006); Engr Bunu Sheriff Musa (2006-2010); Princess Ogan (2010-2015); Prof Ahmed Mora (2015-2021), while Dr Ibrahim Sani Khalil took over to the mantle of leadership in 2021. It has branches of in all the 36 states including Abuja and Zaria as well as faculty based chapters and directorates in the university. There is the National Executive Committee, National Consultative Committee, Board of Trustees and Patrons of the Association.
Achievements
In line with its aim to develop and support Ahmadu Bello University in all ways possible, the ABU alumni association, over the years, has been able to put up projects and ensure various interventions in ABU through its members and their friends which have impacted positively in the smooth running of the university especially teaching, research and infrastructural development.
ABU alumni association was involved in interventions such as Overhead Bridge along Sokoto Road, Samaru Main Campus; Golf course, Main Campus; fire fighting engine for Kongo Campus; water reticulation in Kongo Campus; seminar/workshop for deans and directors and production of NEEDS document of the university for support. Others are provision of six shuttle buses for students, desilting of ABU Dam in Samaru, Main Campus; construction of the road leading to phase II of the university Main Campus; upgrading of of the main electricity supply from 11Kva to 33Kva.
Ongoing projects
Equally, there are ongoing projects by the alumni association that includes Postgraduate Hostel and two blocks of four ensuite bedrooms in the secretariat all in the Main Campus at Samaru.
Calls for more private investments
Just like Oliver Twist, the Ahmadu Bello University Alumni Association has called for more private sector investments in the education sector, especially at ABU, Zaria. The national president of the association, Dr Sani Ibrahim Khalil, who made the call, described education as the bedrock of development, noting that a lot still needed to be done for the development of the country’s education.
He therefore called for more public-private sector collaborations in the development of education in the country, even as he said the association had mapped out various intervention projects in Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria as part of its contributions to the development of the institution.
Khalil identified Post Graduate Hostel accommodation, ABU Alumni National Secretariat and other educational facilities as some of the intervention projects being embarked upon by the association in the university.
He equally emphasised the need for more sponsors and funding of research works to enhance technological breakthroughs in Nigeria.
Proposed projects
For the ABU Alumni Association to effectively seek for donations, projects deemed to be core are divided into three: those for the university, those for students /university community and those for the alumni association. To that extent, the association proposed some projects such as National Secretariat Building in Abuja; additional shuttle buses for students, New NEEDS document for the university, among others, to boost the development and advancement of the institution.
ABU Alumni Association is mobilising more members for maximum benefits to the university through cutting edge website using the diverse structure of the alumni body.
