Prof. Sagir Adamu Abbas

By Anas Abbas

Bayero University, Kano (BUK) has officially launched an on-campus tricycle service at its New Campus. 

The initiative, inaugurated by Vice-Chancellor Professor Sagir Adamu Abbas, aims to provide a safer and more convenient mode of transportation for students and staff navigating the university’s expansive grounds.

During the launch event, which was attended by key university officials, including the Registrar Haruna Aliyu, Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Academics) Professor Haruna Musa, University Librarian Dr. Kabiru Dahiru Abbas, Head of Public Affairs Lamara Garba, and Professor Yakubu Magaji Azare, Professor Abbas highlighted the university’s commitment to prioritizing student welfare.

“This initiative is part of our broader effort to enhance security and convenience for our students,” Professor Abbas stated.

“We are committed to making our campuses not only academically stimulating but also comfortable and safe for everyone.” He added

He assured the university community that the tricycle service would be operated under strict monitoring and evaluation, with trained drivers adhering to best practices from 7 AM to 9 PM daily.

The introduction of the tricycle service follows a February 2025 ban on motorcycles on campus due to rising security concerns. 

The new tricycles are expected to offer a structured and secure alternative for students, facilitating seamless movement across the campus while upholding BUK’s reputation for safety and order.

By Uzair Adam 

Bayero University, Kano (BUK) has approved the creation of new units within its Public Affairs Directorate and appointed Nura Garba as the Head of the Digital Media Unit. 

The decision, endorsed by the Vice-Chancellor, Professor Sagir Adamu Abbas, is part of efforts to enhance the university’s communication strategies and digital engagement.  

Nura Garba, formerly of the Information and Publication Unit, will lead the newly established Digital Media Unit, which will focus on utilizing digital platforms to promote BUK’s brand.

The unit will also engage with online audiences and provide timely updates on university activities.  

In a similar development, Muhammad Salisu Rabiu, previously with the Protocol Unit, has been appointed as the Head of the Publicity and Outreach Unit. 

His role will involve promoting the university’s achievements, programs, and services to various stakeholders, including the media and alumni.  

The appointments were confirmed in letters dated March 12, 2025, signed by the Registrar, Dr. Haruna Aliyu, and have taken immediate effect.

By Hadiza Abdulkadir

Bayero University, Kano (BUK) celebrated a significant milestone on February 15, 2025, by conferring honorary Doctorate Degrees on Colonel Sani Bello, former Military Administrator of Kano State, and Alhaji Auwalu Abdullahi Rano, CEO of A. A. Rano Group of Companies, during its 39th Convocation.

The honorary degrees recognised their exceptional contributions to education and socio-economic development in Kano State and Nigeria. 

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, represented by Minister of State for Education, Professor Suwaiba Ahmad Sa’id, praised the honourees and reaffirmed the government’s commitment to human capital development through education.

BUK’s Vice Chancellor, Professor Sagir Adamu Abbas, highlighted the graduation of 3,400 students, including 295 from the Dangote Business School and 275 PhD graduates, with 176 achieving First Class Honours. 

Pro-Chancellor Dr. Nasiru Yusuf Gawuna encouraged graduands to uphold the university’s reputation, noting BUK’s recent ranking of 43rd in Africa by the 2025 Times Higher Education World University Rankings, inspiring them to strive for excellence and service to humanity.

Dear Prof. Sagir Adamu Abbas, 

Although I doubt you could access this letter, I consider it necessary after two failed attempts to obtain relevant information from the office of the registrar of Bayero University, Kano (BUK).

After following this issue for over six months, expecting the school to do the needful, I am disappointed that this great institution continues to give the public room to question its integrity, especially when such involves deceiving a newly established institution by inflating figures and withholding surplus money belonging to students.

It has been alleged that the management of BUK inflated the figures of students’ school fees in the data shared with the National Education Loan Fund (NELFund). As a result, students applying for loans to pay their registration fees met higher amounts already pre-entered on their dashboards and submitted their applications since there was no option of altering the figures. Consequently, NELFund sent the pre-entered amounts to BUK to cover the students’ registration fees and expects each applicant to repay the same after graduation.

I know a student who needed N95,500 to pay his registration fees, but when he wanted to borrow from NELFund, he met N110,000 on his application dashboard. He submitted it like that, and his application was approved in June 2024. However, owing to pressure from BUK, he sought money and paid his registration fees, believing in the school to do the needful once it received money from NELFund.

Fast-forward to January 2025. The school refunded him N95,500 (the exact amount he paid as registration fees) without explaining the N14,500 surplus it received from NELFund. 

Another student who needed N101,500 was forced to borrow N105,000 from NELFund, with BUK keeping the extra N3,500. 

In addition to contacting these two students, I have read dozens of posts and comments by BUK students on social media (concerning this issue) between August 2024 and now, with no single student mentioning having information about their missing money. However, some students are afraid of victimisation, hence warning their mates to be careful with their expressions regarding the issue.

Sir, each of these poor students is expected to repay the exact amount BUK received on their behalf. As a consequence, it is absolutely wrong for the school management to keep the money.

I must mention that the BUK’s singular act of providing wrong data to NELFund could jeopardise the chances of a lot of other potential beneficiaries because the Fund could distrust other institutions henceforth.

I considered this letter necessary after taking some steps, notable of which are as follows:

On June 30, 2024, NELFund responded to my questions via X (formerly Twitter) as follows:

“All institutional fees on the portal were provided by the institution who (sic) themselves are autonomous under the law and not by NELFUND. Should you have any questions regarding your institution fees, kindly contact the competent authorities of your institution.

“According to the Establishment Act, NELFUND reserves the right to determine the interest payable on every loan. In this case, NELFUND have (sic) determined that the interest rate is zero.”

Also, on January 16, 2025, I emailed the registrar of BUK to seek clarification regarding the missing funds belonging to students. Fortunately, I received the following response about an hour later.

“Good morning Ishaka, 

Thank you for your email. I will review the issue you’ve raised and respond accordingly. 

Kind regards

Haruna Aliyu 

Registrar”

Nonetheless, after waiting for six days without receiving any feedback, I sent a reminder. However, at the time of writing this letter, I have still not received any relevant information.

An institution like BUK is supposed to be the epitome of accountability and transparency, so I humbly request that you consider doing the following as soon as possible.

Consider sending the surplus money to the rightful owners—the affected students. 

After that, explain the reasons for the wrong figures and the delay in disbursing the surplus to them.

Lastly, explain to NELFund why the school sent the wrong figures to represent the value of students’ school fees.

It is worth stressing that all of the above actions are necessary damage control strategies, so each should be carried out and openly communicated. In addition to helping BUK improve its public image, these strategies could help the authorities of the institution to avoid probable consequences of their unethical and illegal actions.

Yours sincerely,

Ishaka Mohammed

By Abbas Datti

Recently, the registration fees of most federal universities in Nigeria have risen dramatically, constituting a huge financial problem for students and their families.

The current fee increase places unfair constraints on low-income people, perpetuating inequality and promoting social inadequacies. More so, the exclusion is based on financial circumstances. As the registration fees continue to increase, the desirable dream of acquiring a university education slips further out of reach for many deserving individuals.

Therefore, as a bona fide resident of Kano and a great beneficiary of low and subsidised registration fees, I will use Bayero University as my case study. I am writing to appeal to Professor Sagir Adamu Abbas, the Vice Chancellor of Bayero University, Kano, regarding the current situation.

We know Sagir as someone with an exceptionally high calibre personality, humility and modest approach. This sets him far above others. Thus, we believe he will no doubt consider the attending consequences of this enormous increase.

We have been told that education is a fundamental right of every individual, and one must admit that it is the responsibility of educational institutions to provide a nurturing and good inclusive environment that fosters academic growth and development for all students. While one may comprehend the various needs associated with running a university and the alleged withdrawal of the government from funding universities, I would like to refer the Vice Chancellor back to the difficulties many students experienced in paying their respective registration fees since before the recent increase.

The ever-increasing cost of registration fees has become a significant deterrent for prospective students, leading to a potential decline in enrolment rates. The burden of high registration fees and other expenses, such as accommodation, and high living costs, is enormous on students and their various families. Potentially, it not only limits access to education but also jeopardises the overall tertiary education enrolments.

I passionately beseech the Vice Chancellor of Bayero University to consider the urgent need for a reduction in registration fees and initiate constructive consultations with the appropriate university stakeholders to find feasible solutions. This could involve exploring more alternative revenue generation, seeking additional funding from wealthy personalities and other intervention funds, or reallocating resources to ensure a well-rounded, balanced approach that benefits both the university and the students.

Abbas Datti wrote from Kano via abbasdatti448@gmail.com.

By Uzair Adam Imam

The Vice-Chancellor of Bayero University, Kano (BUK), Prof. Sagir Adamu Abbas, has commended the new book lesson started by the quintessential West African Islamic scholar, Dr Sani Umar R/Lemo at the university’s new Friday Mosque in the new campus on Wednesday, February 9, 2022.

Prof. Abbas made this remark during the first lesson of the book “Alfawa’id” By Ibnul Qayyim Aljauziyya, which will be taking place on Wednesdays, saying that the plan had been in the pipeline over the years.

He stated that the intent was to shape the thought of the youth through the provision of knowledge for peaceful coexistence.

He said, “Going by the general belief that youth are the hope of the future for any given society, we don’t have a future if our youth go astray. It is also part of our plan to provide an Islamic Centre that will be providing members of the public with a fatwa concerning the issue of a time.”

The VC added that “[In our effort to achieve] all this, I had to contact our great teacher, Prof. Sani Zahraddeen, who was a former Vice-Chancellor of this university, for advice.”

However, Prof. Abbas also promised that efforts to provide a similar lesson at the Old Campus of the University are on top gear.

Dr Bashir Aliyu Umar, the chief Imam of Al-Furqan Mosque, is tipped to commence a new book lesson.

Commenting, Sheikh Umar Sani Rijiyar Lemo commended the effort of the Vice-Chancellor, saying the university is blessed with such a leader.

Head of Information and Media Studies Department, Dr Nura Ibrahim, who is also the secretary of the Mosque Committee, has urged people to cooperate.