The Governing Council of the University of Abuja has approved the appointment of Prof. Clement Alawa and Prof. Abubakar Abba as the Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Academic) and Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Administration), respectively.
Their appointment was disclosed in a statement issued by Dr Habib Yakoob, the Head, Information and Public Relations of the university on Tuesday at Gwagwalada near Abuja.
Yakoob said the council’s approval followed the endorsement of the vice-chancellor’s request by the institution’s senate.
He said Alawa was re-appointed for another two years after a successful first tenure as Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Academic).
He said that the appointments were confirmed at the 89th regular meeting of the Governing Council on Monday.
“Alawa, a Professor of Animal Production was born on Jan. 11, 1961 in Bodo-Ogoni, Rivers State.
“He is a graduate of Veterinary Medicine from the Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria 1988, and holds a Masters’ and Doctorate degrees in Animal Science in 1994 and 2003 respectively.
“Prof. Alawa began his career as an Assistant Research Fellow at the National Animal Research Institute, Ahmadu Bello University (ABU), Shika , Zaria, between 1989 and 1994, rose to the rank of a Principal Research Fellow in 2006 and Professor in 2009.
“Alawa, who joined the service of the University of Abuja in 2013, was also at the Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, U.S., where he spent his Fulbright Fellowship year between 2001 and 2002.
“The Deputy Vice Chancellor (Academic) has several publications both in local and foreign journals, books, in addition to papers presented at conferences.
“He has also served on several committees both at ABU and the University of Abuja including as Chairman of the University of Abuja Convocation Planning Committee and Chairman of the University of Abuja Research Grant Committee.”
The statement further said Alawa was a one-time Dean of Faculty of Veterinary Medicine.
He also doubled as Deputy Dean and the Head, Department of Animal Health and Production between August 2014 and November 2016.
“Prof. Alawa is a member of many professional bodies, including the College of Veterinary Surgeon in Nigeria where he became a fellow in 2014,” the statement added.
The statement further said that Abba, the new Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Administration) was born on Nov. 29, 1967 in Yola, Adamawa.
“He graduated in 1997 from the University of Maiduguri with a Bachelor of Science degree in Political Science, and had his M.Sc. and PhD degrees from University of Abuja in Political Economy and Development in 2004 and 2011, respectively.
“Abba, who began his teaching career as a primary school teacher rose to become Headmaster at Modibbo Raji Islamiya Primary School, Wuro-Modibbo and was also a secondary school teacher (Master Grade II) between 1989 and 1992.
“He joined the service of the University of Abuja in 1999, and rose to the rank of a Professor with specialisation in Conflictology, Alternative Development Paradigms in 2018,” he said.
The statement noted that Abba is a member of several professional organisations including International Political Science Association (IPSA) and Nigerian Political Science Association (NPSA).
It said that he was a visiting scholar in various institutions such as Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (CASS), Korean Academy of Social Sciences (KASS) and International Institute of Juche Idea (IIJI).
“Abba was the political party specialist for the International Republican Institute (IRI) from 1998 to 2012, a Democratic Governance Expert for the UN midwifed Democratic Governance Project (DGD II) from 2012 to 2015.
“He served as Research and Intelligence field coordinator for Movement for the Advancement of African Societies (MAAS) in Africa, Europe and Asia Pacific from 1986 to 1992 among other responsibilities,” it stated. (NAN)