Education
By Anthony Isibor.
HAROUN Al-Rashid Adamu, former chairman of the Petroleum Trust Fund, has been awarded the Degree of Doctor of Management Science (Honoris Causa) of the Federal University of Technology, Akure, FUTA.
At the presentation ceremony on November 27, Onwu Inya, university orator, while reading the citation of Adamu on Saturday, November 27, described him as a honorable and honest, Astute manager of men and resources, resourceful researcher, open-minded, unrelenting in his drive for capacity building, notable educationist, adviser to men in power, lover of democracy, repairer of the breaches, accomplished public servant and policymaker, soft spoken, humble, innovator, daring political editor of Daily Times in its heydays, analytical, developer of the journalism profession in Nigeria, articulate writer, magnanimous and an unassuming gentleman.
Adamu was also described as a passionate educationist, a fervent believer and practitioner of capacity building, a veteran journalist, an insightful political scientist, a respectable publisher, a key player in the democratic journey of Nigeria, a top-notch policymaker and analyst, an influential adviser of national leaders, a vocal advocate of the educational, political, and socio-economic rights of women in Northern Nigeria, a cosmopolitan Nigerian and a seasoned administrator.
Born on March 30, 1944 in Makurdi, the capital of Benue State, Adamu attended the Holy Ghost Primary School, Makurdi; Tiv Native Authority Senior Primary School, Gboko, where he wrote and passed his Common Entrance and was granted admission to the Benue Provincial Secondary School, Kastina-Ala.
Having graduated from Benue Provincial Secondary School in 1964, Adamu was enrolled in Kufena College, Zaria (now St Paul College, Wusasa) for his High School Certificate, HSC, studies. After four months, he proceeded on a scholarship to the prestigious Philips Exeter Academy in Exeter New Hampshire, USA.
In 1970, Adamu earned his Bachelors of Art in Political Science from Yale University in the USA, and his PhD in Political Science from the Great Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, Nigeria in 1988.
On the North and Nigerian Unity, Adamu noted the wide gap in terms of education between the North and South of Nigeria and equally acknowledged the role of the private sector in providing education in the South and recommended that this be replicated in the North.
However, Inya noted: “sadly, that the recommendation did not receive the needed support.” Thus, in order to lead by example and to remedy the educational deficit in the North, Adamu established Zaria Academy in 1998. Zaria Academy, which is now a co-educational institution, has graduated nearly 1000 students who have gone on to distinguish themselves in their chosen endeavours in life.
“As part of its Corporate Social Responsibility, Zaria Academy conducted a free vocational training programme for nearly 200 youths from the various local government areas of Kaduna in various trades.
Realnews reports that Adamu’s sojourn In ABU, Zaria was between 1971 and 1973. During this period he taught the General Course on Nigerian Politics and devoted his time to researching the Almajiri system in Northern Nigeria, amongst other socio-religious questions. The background to that project drew from his personal experience and his observation.
Adamu was an Almajiri and the chief imam of Makurdi was his teacher. As part of the curriculum, pupils were required to go out and ask for alms, which were in the form of food items etc, this was regardless of the fact that the pupils needed the supplies or not.
The philosophical goal of the Almajiri system was to inculcate the values of humility, compassion and empathy in the pupils; having been in the shoes of the needy and haves-not, they were to be better placed to empathise with the less privilege and to be generous givers.
However, when Adamu returned to Zaria from Yale, he observed that this noble goal of the Almajiri system had been bastardised and this motivated his study.
According to Inya, the result of the project was published in his book The North and Nigerian Unity: The political and social problems of Northern Nigeria published in 1973. The book equally reflected on political and social problems of Northern Nigeria especially the negative effects of purdah and polygamy on the educational and political development of Northern women.
“Interestingly, the publication of The North and Nigerian Unity: The political and social problems of Northern Nigeria published in 1973 were Dr. Adamu’s stepping stone into journalism. The late and former Editor of Daily Times Babatunde Jose got a copy of the book, read it, organized for Dr. Adamu to meet with him, interacted with him and then appointed him as the first Political Editor of the Daily Times. As at that time, Daily Times was the largest circulating Newspaper in Nigeria,” Inya noted.
His writings during this period were later published as book entitled: The Struggle Continues in 2002.
In the foreword to this book, Babatunde Josse described Adamu as a brilliant nationalist journalist who walked in the corridors of power, breakfasted with the poor men, drank with the trade unionists, lunched with government opponents, had tea with opinion leaders and dined in the state houses, sharing sensitive intelligence information and thoroughly enjoying everybody’s confidence without compromising his professional integrity.
As a journalist, Adamu covered political stories across the length and breadth of Africa and beyond: ranging from the revolutionary movement in Guinea Bissau (1974) to coups in Niger and Portugal (1974 and 75); from the Independence of Mozambique to the historic reopening of the Suez Canal in Egypt (1975); from interviewing Michael Manley, Jamaican prime minister right through to President Kenneth Kaunda of Zambia and President Julius Nyerere of Tanzania.
Adamu has extensive experience in foreign affairs, policies and public service, the following is just to mention a few examples: In March 1990, he was part of an unannounced delegation of five eminent journalists appointed by the Babangida Administration to engage President De Klerk and various arms of the Apartheid South African government and make recommendations to the Nigerian government.
He undertook a similar assignment earlier in 1976, for the then head of State, General Olusegun Obasanjo. “In 1986, he was appointed to serve on the Political Bureau, a 17-member think tank to advise the Nigerian government on various socio-political issues and to design a transition programme for the transfer of government from military rule to democracy.
Additionally, in 1989, he was appointed as a member of the Constituent Assembly, mandated to draw up a new Constitution for a democratic government in Nigeria.
In 1994 through to 1998, he worked very closely with the late Prof. Sam Aluko in the Nigerian Economic Intelligence Committee, and equally served as the director of Research and Strategy for the General Olusegun Obasanjo Campaign Organisation which led to his election and inauguration as President of Nigeria in May 1999.
Again, between March and May 1999, Adamu served as secretary/member of the Presidential Policy Advisory Committee under the chair of Gen. T.Y. Danjuma. This was a transition committee mandated to present policy options to the newly elected President of Nigeria.
In 2001, he worked very closely with President Olusegun Obasanjo, who was chair of the Summit of G77 member countries. He accompanied President Olusegun Obasanjo to the G8 Summit of 2001 where the President made a presentation of the main concerns of the G77 countries, especially globalisation, knowledge and technology, poverty and HIV/AIDS.
DEC. 02, 2021 @ 17:13 GMT
A.I
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