The only two UNIMAID VCs to host sitting presidents

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BY IBRAHIM ABDULHAMID, DECEMBER 28, 2021 | 10:08 PM


Until now, the only vice chancellor to host a sitting president in the University of Maiduguri, was Prof. Muhammad Nur Alkali, who was also the only to have served for two terms between 1985 and 1992.

Given how difficult it is to get a president—any president—out of the State House, it must be every chief executive’s honor to have a record of doing so.

Even state governors are in the scramble to get the attention of the president to come to their states, to commission their projects—or at least, if nothing, sympathize with them in times of tragedies.

It is a whole tenure’s honor therefore, for Prof. Aliyu Shugaba, to have also become the second VC to have the privilege of hosting in his premises, President Muhammadu Buhari, one of the hardest of the country’s presidents to get out of the presidential villa.

In every sense, it is Prof. Shugaba’s honor, given that the last time this had happened was over 30 years ago.

Nur Alkali played host to former military head of state, General Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida, in the course of his two-term tenure, 1985 to 1992, a record of its own.

He had also hosted General Sani Abatcha, but at a time when he was the chief of defence staff, also representing his principal, Gen. Babangida.

Ever since, every other president, whenever he was invited, only sent a representative.

Universities’ convocations and inaugural lectures used to be important platforms for critical national discourses and as such heads of states are normally invited.

But obviously as a result of the proliferation of universities in the country, these august events have been robbed of their coveted relevance and place.

Then enter President Buhari, who has been known to shun activities outside the presidential villa and therefore very economical with how he gave his grace.

In fact, the only thing that has seen him out of the villa with some regularity, is the commissioning of projects.

But even on that, there were times he would commission them virtually right inside his office.

In others, he would send representatives.

This has in turn made his visits to other states, whatever the reasons for them, a thing of so much pride to his hosts, who in return go as far as declaring work-free days or even more.

In fact, it had to take a thing as worthy in the president’s eye as commissioning of a project, for UNIMAID to have the highly-coveted privilege of having him come in person.

Beyond this, people attach some meaning to Buhari’s visits.

One of our reporters said ‘politicians want to take it as their integrity test result.’

Another said ‘it gave politicians some reason to be confident and feel proud.’

In any case, Prof. Shugaba had the right reasons and the right circumstance last week to host him and thus become the second of the university’s VCs to host a sitting president.

Buhari commissioned the Center for Distance Learning, which was donated to the university by Dr. Muhammadu Indimi, a business tycoon who is also an in-law to the president.

The center, a N2 billion investment, has a learning center and a conference center with a capacity of 1, 300 seats, fully equipped with ‘state-of-the-art tools’.

Thus, it is Prof. Shugaba’s honor, because in recent times, the only other university Buhari has visited was the Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria.


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