BUILDING THE CITADEL: THIRTY YEARS OF UNIVERSITY EDUCATION IN KANO, 1964-1994 Edited by Isa Alkali Abba Isma'ila Abubakar Tsiga Abdalla Uba Adamu Bayero University, Kano Nigeria BUILDING THE CITADEL: THIRTY YEARS OF UNIVERSITY EDUCATION IN KANO, 1964-1994 Edited by Isa Alkali Abba Isma'ila Abubakar Tsiga Abdalla Uba Adamu Bayero University Kano, 1994 All Rights Reserved ii Abba, I.A., Tsiga, I. A., and Adamu, A. U. (1994), Building The Citadel: Thirty Years of University Education in Kano, 1964-1994. Kano, Nigeria: Bayero University Kano (The Vice-Chancellor’s Office). Keywords: Universities; Africa; Islam; Nigeria; Higher Education; Curriculum Reform and Development in Higher Education; Academic Union Activism First Published in 1994 by Bayero University Kano, Nigeria Editorial Address: The Office of the Vice-Chancellor Bayero University, Kano P. M. B. 3011 Kano State NIGERIA : 234-64-66.59.08 Fax: 234-64-66.59.04 ISBN 978-2035-24-6 Bayero University Kano, 1994 All Rights Reserved iii Contents Foreword xi Introduction xiii Acknowledgements xv Chronology Of Main Events Of Bayero University Kano 2 From Inception To 1993 Compiled By Haruna Wakili A Brief History Of Kano City, Late Emir Abdullahi 17 Bayero D.1953) And School For Arabic Studies (S.A.S.) Kano Dr. Asma'u Garba Saeed History Of Bayero University, Kano 27 Dr. Isa Alkali Abba Memories Of Bayeros's Beginning 36 Professor Abdalla El Tayib, First Provost Of Abc, 1964-66 At The Birth Of Bayero University, Kano 41 Professor Saburi Biobaku Reminiscences On The Establishment Of Bayero 43 University, Kano Dr. Mahmud Tukur The Period 1979-1986 53 Professor Ibrahim H. Umar Early Days In The Faculty Of Science 57 Professor G. G. Parfitt, A Brief Biography Of The Founding Director Of Estate 59 Alhaji Sule Unguwar Alkali Abdullahi Bayero College - Reflection On The First 62 Student Days Ibrahim Abdulhamid Reflections Of One Of The First Female Students Of 67 Abdullahi Bayero College/Abu (Now Bayero University), Kano Hadiza B. Lavers (Nee Ciroma) My Student Days In The University 72 iv Mrs. H.T. Mohammed (Class Of 1973) Reminiscence On My Bayero University College Days 76 Mrs. Fatima Sa'ad Abubakar (Nee Yerima-Bala) Abc/Abu/(Buk): The True Northern Star 78 H.R.H. Mallam Zubair Jibril Maigwari Ii Waves On A Rocky Shore: The Evolution Of The Course 82 Unit System In Bayero University Kano Abdalla Uba Adamu Faculty Of Arts And Islamic Studies 98 Dr. P. J. Shea And Dr. M. S. Abdulkadir Faculty Of Social And Management Sciences 105 Shehu Dalhatu Faculty Of Education: An Educational Manpower Factory 115 In The Far Northern States Dr. Akilu Sani Indabawa And Dr. Ibrahim A. Kolo Faculty Of Law 129 Ali Ahmed, N. A. Ahmad And B. A. Haruna Faculty Of Science 133 Dr. M.Y. Bello And Mal. I.L. Abdullahi Faculty Of Technology 144 Dr. U. G. Danbatta And Y. Z. Ya'u Faculty Of Medicine 149 Dr. M. M. Borodo School Of General Studies 154 Dr. Usman Hassan The Postgraduate School 156 A. B. Garba The University Library Reminiscences Of Three Decades 158 Of Development And Services M. A. Sadiq And H. Y. Kethi Twenty Four Years Of C.S.N.L At Bayero 171 Dr. Abba Rufa'i Kano Studies: A Buk Journal Of Savanna And Sudanic 188 v Research Professor Ibrahim Yaro Yahaya Superior Vena Cava: Program Planning And Staff 201 Development In Bayero University Kano Abdalla Uba Adamu The Bayero University Staff Schools System 217 The Nursery School Mrs. E. F. Antwi The Staff Primary School 219 Alhaji Magaji A. Umar The Staff Secondary School 224 Mr. W. S. Adoble Support Services 226 30th Anniversary Of Bayero University Bursary Department In Context V.A. Umoru The Estate Department 234 Alhaji Abubakar Wada Physical Planning Unit 237 Arch. Kabiru Maina Health Services 242 Dr. Nasidi Nuhu Sports Services 244 Alhaji Isyaku A Brief History Of Student Affairs Division 249 Dr. Bawa Hassan Gusau University Consultancy Services Unit 251 Isa Nuhu Sheshe The Computer Centre 256 Professor J. T. Ndefru The University Guest House 258 T. A. Gberikon vi The Bookshop 261 Y. A. Goda Unions And Staff Welfare In Bayero University 263 Academic Staff Union Of Nigerian Universities (Asuu) Activities And Achievements Of The Bayero University Chapter 1980-1993 Dr. M. D. Suleiman The History Of The Senior Staff Association Of Bayero 271 University Kano, Chapter (Ssa) Sabiu D. Mohammed Non-Academic Staff Union Of Educational And Associated 273 Institutions (Nasu) Alhassan Abdullahi Flashpoints And Flashdance: Students, Unions And 275 Social Conscience In Bayero University Kano, 1966-1990 Abdalla Uba Adamu Abdullahi Bayero College, Ahmadu Bello University 286 Historical Notes Provisional List Of Matriculants 288 Annual Report, 1966/67 289 Hamid Alkali, Ag. Provost 289 The Proposed Centre For Hausa Studies At Abdullahi 292 Bayero College, Kano Handing Over Notes 298 Long Service Award: To Staff With 25 Years Of Service 328 And Above Past Presidents And Secretary Generals Of The 329 Students' Union, 1966-1993 A Partial List Of Donors To Support The University 330 Development A Partial List Of Donors To The University Library: 333 Individuals And Organisations Honorary Graduands 340 Obituary: John Ellis Lavers, 1936-93 345 vii Foreword It is undoubtedly a truism to say that universities are centres of advanced learning and research, or that they play an important role in the development of a modern nation such as Nigeria. The extent to which they actually realise these ideals varies from university to university and from discipline to discipline. In various parts of the world there is a common assumption that the older the university, the more likely it is to serve as a model for others; but it often happens that new traditions of excellence are also quickly established in younger institutions. It is undeniable, of course, that the Nigerian universities of today are plagued with problems, including the continuing shortage of academic staff in many fields, the decay and dilapidation of infrastructures, and the frequent and irrational outbreaks of violence among students and staff. It is easy enough to argue that since the university sector of education began to develop nearly fifty years ago, high standards were early attained and quality was initially at a premium, but that after a certain point standards began to fall and quality was sacrificed to quantity. The National Universities Commission, as the principal medium through which Government policies towards universities are effected and funds disbursed, is well aware of all the problems; but self-laceration is a Nigerian national pastime, and we believe that there are good reasons to feel more optimistic, even in our current situation. Nigerians often ignore the fact, for example, that this country possesses more universities than any other African country. Although the ever-rising tide of applications for university places indicates that the demand is still far in excess of the supply, it also suggests that young Nigerians today have come to expect a university education as an indispensable key to their entry into an adult world which itself is undergoing rapid change, and to their attainment of high social status and recognition as rational and responsible citizens. This is surely a healthy state of affairs. Pessimists are sometimes heard advocating that some of Nigeria's universities are not viable and should be closed down. At the risk of seeming complacent, I dare to believe viii that a level of maturity, including an ability to consider various issues of our social life calmly and objectively, has been reached among the diverse groups making up Nigeria, that this has stood her in good stead at a time of great economic difficulty and that it has helped to prevent a slide into the anarchy that has beset other African nations. This maturity, diffused today through the society, is surely the product of the various benefits that come with undergoing a university education: the realisation, for example, that issues in various branches of knowledge are far more complex than we thought they were; the unavoidable experience of having our ideas subjected to the criticism of our teachers and our peers; the fact that students in a university come from a variety of ethnic, religious, and economic backgrounds and, often with difficulty, have to learn to tolerate one another. Bayero University, Kano belongs to that younger crop of Nigerian universities which burgeoned into life in the latter part of the 1970s. Like many a university, however, it is older than it looks. Its antecedents go back to 1964, when Ahmadu Bello College was established in Kano as an affiliate of Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, by soon re- styling itself Abdullahi Bayero College, the nascent institution paid tribute to one of the most distinguished twentieth-century holders of the Kano royal title, namely the late Emir of Kano, Abdullahi Bayero. This combination of respect for Kano traditions as permeated by the Islamic faith, and interest in the advances in knowledge that are such a marked feature of the contemporary world, virtually summarise the ethos of the new institution, and it was only fitting that when it finally graduated to the status of a university it should continue to honour that distinguished name. There is therefore no paradox in the fact that Bayero University, Kano, which achieved university status in 1977, should in 1994 be celebrating thirty years of continuous teaching within its walls. To mark this anniversary, a number of persons who have watched and participated in its development during those years - as students, lecturers, or administrators, offer us their personal reminiscences, their analyses of how vital elements in the system came to be what they are today, or their description of the current functioning of these.