Area of expertise necessary for promotion to rank of professor, says ABU don
A distinguished scholar at Ahmadu Bello University, Prof YKE Ibrahim, has decried a situation whereby promotion to the rank of professor in some universities is approved without recourse to the area of specialisation.
Prof Ibrahim, Centre Leader, Africa Centre of Excellence for Neglected Tropical Diseases and Forensic Biotechnology (ACENTDFB), said authorities must jettison such practice in the interest of university system.
He spoke when he gave a lecture at a symposium organised by Ahmadu Bello University for its newly promoted professors.
The lecture, ‘Reseach Themes and Teams’, was delivered at the Conference Hall, ACENPEE, ABU, Zaria on Thursday, 21st May, 2026.
Prof Ibrahim, who teaches at the Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, suggested that universities should also change the current trend of promoting academics to the rank of professor based on number of publications.
He said mentorship is one of the specific roles of a professor and that in mentoring, mentor’s area of expertise remains paramount.
According to him, a professor should not be a ‘jack of all trades, but a master of none’, if he or she has a clearly defined area of specialisation.
The ACENTDFB centre leader further argued that it is always easy for professors to formulate research themes and establish research teams when they are experts in their respective fields.
The scholar, who also listed major considerations for formulating research themes, stressed that theme selection sets foundation for fieldwork.
Research themes, he further stated, usually sit at the intersection of three forces – what facinates the researcher personally, what the academic field currently needs, and what is practically possible to study.
He said clarity of research process, coherence in research, enabling innovation, and serving as platform for attracting research funds are some of the advantages of research themes formulation.
Prof Ibrahim also spoke on research teams which he said exist in many capacities, but usually their members share similar affiliations, specialties, and interests.
The centre leader said they may be disciplinary, multidisciplinary, but most often diverse. Diversity, according to him, enhances creativity and innovation.
He further emphasized that building research team is no longer an option but an imperative if one wants to be a visible and successful researcher.
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Public Affairs Directorate,
Office of the Vice-Chancellor,
Ahmadu Bello University,
Zaria (NEWS/NAM&PIC/TKU)
Monday, 25th May, 2026
