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Professor Musa Isiyaku Ahmed: A value creator and prime scholar, by Dr. Aminu Salihu Yakudima
Last month, there was a colourful public presentation and launching of a book, titled ‘Court and Politics,’ authored by Dr. Umar Ardo at Yar’Adua Centre, FCT Abuja, Nigeria. The occasion which was deliberately fixed in February, 2024 for obvious reasons, recorded a huge success with a mammoth crowd had never been witnessed before in Abuja for a book launch on a weekend. Categories of people, ranging from professionals, business moguls, public servants, military personnel, politicians, and scholars attended the event in team spirit and high enthusiasm because of the subject matter and the prevailing circumstances in Nigeria.
The organising committee for the book launch chaired by Alhaji Shehu Musa Gabam and well experienced membership did a wonderful job in putting together a quality assembly, keeping to a standard of organisation and deployment of auxiliary personnel to make the occasion superlative and highly ethical.
Last year, when some of us were given complementary copies of the book by the Author; out of my curiosity, unsolicited and without sponsorship, I spontaneously wrote an article on it with key reference to chapter seven as part of contributions to support participatory democracy and real politics in Nigeria. The 556 page-book is voluminous. It is divided into seven chapters. Each chapter did great justice to the subject. However, I have chosen the last one to dwell on, in view of matters arising, its relevance to exigencies of the moment, richness and accuracy in terms of political analysis, predictions and process of litigation.
Undoubtedly, it is empirically and theoretically appealing. It is therefore, a must-read book for politicians, practicing jurists, journalists, activists, lawyers, general scholars, political scientists, students of history, linguistics, law and sociology, and for anybody interested in going to court for political disputes and election matters. The book is also a treatise for some of us who want to see the stable development of institutional democracy and entrenchment of the rule of law, social justice, good governance, excellent leadership and participatory politics in Nigeria.
The book has generated useful comments and interesting reviews from professionals and scholars, most notably those of the pioneer Vice Chancellor of the Federal University of Agriculture, Zuru, Kebbi State, Professor Musa Isiyaku Ahmed, who stated wonderful remarks. His submission runs thus:
“I want to sincerely commend the insightful and thought-provoking analysis of the author of this book. His ability to break down complex political concepts and present them in a clear and engaging manner truly makes his work to stand out. I am particularly impressed by his thorough research and deep understanding of the intricacies of political systems and structures in this country. His perspectives on current political issues and trends in Nigeria were both enlightening and impactful.
Furthermore, his nuanced and balanced approach to discussing different political ideologies and viewpoints showcased a level of intellectual honesty and open-mindedness that is so valuable in today’s polarized political climate in our country. The book is quite rich in analogy & sure to spark important conversations and inspire critical thinking in the realm of politics in Nigeria. As IBB pointed out, It may, in no distant future, become a benchmark of judicial and political edification in this country. I look forward to reading more of this in the future”.
Obviously, great qualities explain Professor Ahmed’s success in the university community and the larger society. He came from a humble beginning, established solid academic credentials, and built invaluable experiences beyond the academia. Professor Ahmed is a Fellow College of Veterinary Surgeons, Nigeria (FCVSN), Fellow Institute of Human and Natural Resources (FIHNR), Member, Academia in Information Technology Professionals (AITP), Computer Professionals Council, Nigeria (CPN) and Nigeria Computer Society (NCS).
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His organisational skills, leadership quality along with his versatility in agriculture, aquaculture, Bioinformatics and information and communication technology (ICT) made him an ideal candidate for the delivery of Agro-Veterinary and Biomedical Research for Sustainable Development. Professor Ahmed’s resourcefulness and ingenuity at work has been an asset that perpetually paved way for the numerous appointments he enjoyed with every incoming administration in the Universities where he worked.
He was the Director, Instructional Technology Centre, University of Maiduguri; Dean, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Maiduguri and Director, Computer Services and Information Technology, University of Ilorin. He held positions of Deputy Director, Sub-Dean, Consultant, Head of Department and many other responsibilities in the Universities where he worked.
Prof. Ahmed served on the Federal Ministry of Agriculture & Food Security (FMAFS) Stakeholder Mapping Team in 2023. He is currently a serving member of the Tetfund Advisory Committee on Digital Literacy, Productivity and Emerging Skills, as well as a Consultant to the National Assembly Project on “Alternative Education Initiative” to cover the Northeast geopolitical region. He served on numerous Committees, Panels and Boards of Universities, Ministries, Departments and Agencies.
Ahmed has the innate ability to strike a balance between his primary area of specialization which is veterinary parasitology, arable mechanized agriculture and information and communication technology.
He is a pragmatic farmer with about twenty-nine (29) years of mechanized farming experience and a player in the seed sector. Prof. Ahmed is a true scholar with intrinsic qualities of an ICT-compliant administrator and a team player in the promotion of contemporary Agro-Veterinary technology and functional integration of information and communication technology in teaching, learning and research environment.
Ahmed’s creativity and critical thinking in the poultry industry have enabled him to introduce a Danish broiler breed in West Africa (Scanbrid) in 1994 and developed a cure for cutaneous leishmaniasis.
Ahmed’s personality and empathy stretches beyond the realm of university service to his immediate community where he renders free consultancy to poultry, fish and crop farmers using digital technology. He possesses a creative and innovative mind that brings to the work place a rare combination of 34 years of amalgamated experiences on advances in agricultural technology and livestock resources as a cocktail. His passion for the art of agricultural revolution is exemplified in his eagerness to imbibe the use of Bioinformatics to improve crop yield, quality and disease control.
Professor Musa Isiyaku Ahmed is a delightful mentor, an entrepreneur, a go-getter, an administrator and a passionate educator whose versatility paved way for him to traverse to Usman Danfodiyo University, Sokoto; University of Nigeria, Nsukka; Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria; University of Ilorin; University of Georgia, Athens; Kansas State University, Kansas; Texas A & M, College Station, Texas; Alabama A & M, Huntsville; Fatih University, Istanbul; University of Edinburgh, U.K.; University of Cambridge, U.K.; Shanghai University, China and Shenzhen University, Guangdong, China in the course of his academic sojourn.
Dr Aminu Yakudima is a columnist and writes from Abuja.
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