ABU and BUK: Finding the Missing Link

I was reading the profile of Prof. Attahiru Jega and I find it very interesting. Reading the profile reminded me of the recent dragging between ABU students/graduates and BUK students/graduates and made me realise the strong link between ABU and BUK. Prof. Jega happened to be a student when the present-day BUK underwent status transformation as a college of ABU.

The present-day BUK was still a faculty of ABU when Prof. Jega was admitted to study Political Science in 1974. In 1975, the then Abdullahi Bayero College was raised to the status of a University College with the right to award degrees on behalf of Ahmadu Bello University.

That led to the renaming of the college to Abdullahi Bayero University College. The college was usually referred to as The Ahmadu Bello University Zaria’s Bayero University College, Kano. In 1977, Bayero University College was raised to the status of a full-fledged university. Meanwhile, it continued as a Faculty of ABU till 1980.

Prof. Jega graduated from “ABU Kano” in 1979 and was employed as a teaching assistant at Bayero University, Kano. He was known as a fierce activist who rose to become the mouthpiece of Nigerian universities. His term as the ASUU President will never be forgotten.

When he speaks to date, you still see that passion for better Nigeria’s public university system in his eyes. The vision of the likes of Prof Jega should be our focus, not one silly argument. We can describe him as the man who set the pace for the modern BUK we’ve got today.

Dear ABU and BUK students and graduates, though ABU graduates such as Prof. Attahiru Jega are still “ahead naturally” and BUK is the seed of ABU, we need to realise that what connects us is stronger than what separates us.

©Amoka