By IN an extraordinary academic journey that sets him apart in Nigeria’s intellectual history, Professor Abdallah Uba Adamu, a proud son of Kano, has carved his name as one of the very few Nigerians to become a Professor twice in two distinct disciplines.
At Bayero University, Kano, Adamu first reached the peak in 1997 when he was promoted as the first Professor of Science Education.
Fifteen years later, in 2012, he made history again as the first Professor of Media and Cultural Communication.
Reflecting on this rare feat, Professor Adamu once said, “For me, knowledge has never been confined to boundaries.
The sciences and the humanities both offer different windows into understanding society, and I felt compelled to engage both.”
He remains the only academic in Northern Nigeria to have achieved this dual professorship, a record that continues to inspire.
Beyond the walls of the classroom, Adamu has been a tireless advocate for the Hausa language, history, and culture.
In the 1990s, he pioneered the digital representation of Hausa special characters (ɓ, Ɓ, ɗ, Ɗ, ƙ, Ƙ) on computers—an innovation that revolutionised Hausa literacy in the digital space.
Speaking on this milestone, he explained, “It was important that our language was not left behind in the digital revolution.
Hausa had to find its rightful place on computers, and I am proud to have contributed to that.”
From 2016 to 2021, Adamu served as the Vice-Chancellor of the National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN), where he introduced groundbreaking reforms in distance learning, expanding access to education for thousands across the country.
Colleagues describe him not only as a brilliant scholar but also as a deeply approachable personality.
A fellow academic at Bayero University said, “Professor Adamu is a man who carries his genius lightly.
He is humorous, relatable, and never too distant from the people around him.”
Outside academia, Adamu has built a vibrant presence on social media, especially Facebook, where his witty posts and cultural reflections have endeared him to a wide following.
As one admirer put it on social media: “Prof Adamu is living proof that scholarship and humour can co-exist.
“He teaches, entertains, and inspires all at once.”
With a career that spans science, media, culture, and education, Professor Abdallah Uba Adamu stands as a trailblazer—an academic giant whose influence reaches far beyond lecture halls.
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