Prof Ezra Bako AMANS: Renowned Professor of Agronomy

Prof Ezra Bako AMANS is a respected academic, skilled Administrator, distinguished Abusite and respected professor of Agronomy who has served his alma mater the great Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria in different capacities including as Deputy vice-chancellor

Prof Ezra Bako Amans was born on July 02, 1952, at Billiri, Gombe state of Nigeria.  He had his primary education at the Central Primary school, Billiri (1960-1965). While in Primary 6, he got admitted into the Government (then Provincial) Secondary School, Bauchi (1966-1970) and, thereafter to the Government Secondary School, Maiduguri for his Higher School Certificate (HSC) between 1971 and 1972.

He holds the Bachelor of Science degree in Agriculture, the Master’s (M. Sc.) and Doctorate (Ph.D.) degrees in Agronomy of the Ahmadu Bello University (ABU), Zaria.  He was a post-graduate Research Fellow at the Agricultural University, Wageningen, The Netherlands (1986).

Prof Ezra Bako AMANS served as an Agricultural officer with the Equatorial Guinea Refugee Resettlement Project in Afikpo, in the then Imo State (now Ebonyi State) during the mandatory National Youth Service year (1976-1977), then served briefly under Bauchi State Ministry of Agriculture before joining the Hadejia – Jama’are River Basin Development Authority, where he was based at the Kano River Project, Kagawa, for two years (1977-1979).

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He left the services of the River Basin Authority and joined that of the Ahmadu Bello University (ABU) in November 1979 as an Assistant Lecturer in the Department of Agronomy where he still is. He has risen through the ranks to become a Professor of Agronomy in October 2004.

He is actively involved in teaching at both undergraduate and postgraduate programs as well as in research and extension activities especially with respect to his major professional area of horticultural crops and cropping system. He has, as a major supervisor guided many undergraduate student projects, Masters (M.Sc.) and doctoral (Ph.D.) students.

Prof Ezra Bako AMANS also taught courses at the Usman Danfodio University, Sokoto and Federal University of Technology, Minna as a visiting lecturer and sabbatical staff, respectively. 

He had served as External Examiner to several other institutions like the Federal College of Education, Gombe; Federal University of Technology (now Modibbo Adama University), Yola; Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University, Bauchi; Usmanu Danfodio University, Sokoto and the Micheal Opara University of Agriculture, Umudike.

He served as consultant agronomist in National assignment such as the NAFCON Review of Soil fertility Status of Savanna Soils (1987-1988);  National Agricultural Lands Development Authority Pilot Project, Bali (1992-1993); UNDP/Ministry of Finance Fourth Country Development Programme (1992); FAO Pilot Project of special programme on Food security (2000) and FAO/FMARD Assessment of Flood Damage (2012).

In the course of his assignments, Professor Amans had the opportunity to travel and interact with professional colleagues within and outside the country that included Ghana, Ethiopia, Benin Republic, Burkina Faso, South Africa, Britain, The Netherlands, and Hungary.

Prof Ezra Bako AMANS has held positions in several committees within and outside the University. He was Team Leader, State Agricultural Development Programme Technology Review Meetings (1988-1998), Zonal Coordinator, Cassava Project for Semi-Arid Nigeria (1996-2003), Coordinator, ABU – Sasakawa Africa Fund for Extension Education (SAFE) Programme between 2002 and 2004.

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He was Head of Agronomy Department (1996-1999); Deputy Dean of Agriculture (1995-96), Dean of Faculty (1997-2001); Leader, Horticultural Crops Research Program of the Institute for Agricultural Research (IAR) between 2009 and 2011. 

He was an Assistant Director (Research) of the IAR in 2011 and Deputy Director (2012-2014). He served as a member of the Gombe State Sub-Committee on Agriculture (2011 – 2014). In December 2014, he was appointed as Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Academics)

In recognition of his commitment and dedication to duty Prof Ezra Bako AMANS received the IAR Director’s Certificate of Recognition (2007) and the Vice-Chancellor’s Merit Award (2012) as well as traditional titles of the Magajin Malam of Tanglang District and the Garkuwan Noma of Tangale Chiefdom (Billiri Local Government Area, Gombe State).

He is a member of the Horticultural Society of Horticulture (HORTON), Agricultural Policy Research Network (AARNet) and Fellow of the Agricultural Society of Nigeria (FASN).

Prof Ezra Bako AMANS has to his credit 59 peer reviewed publications, 26 conference presentations, and other technical papers.  He has attended many International and national professional conferences, respectively. 

He is a member of the Agricultural Society of Nigeria, Horticultural Society of Nigeria, and International Society for Tropical Root Crops (ISTRC – Africa Branch).  He is an Associate Editor of the Samaru Journal of Agricultural Research, and member of the Editorial Board of ABU-based SAVANNA journal.

Prof. Amans is married with children.