ABU is 63 years old today
Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria is 63 years old today – Saturday, 4th October, 2025.
The university, founded on 4th October, 1962, rolled out the drums to celebrate the anniversary in a low key manner.
Part of the celebration is offering of prayers by staff and students at mosques and churches across the two campuses for continued growth and development of the institution.
The institution is also commemorating the day with a press conference to be addressed by the Vice-Chancellor, Prof Adamu Ahmed, in Zaria today.
During the press conference billed to hold at the Vice-Chancrllor’s Conference Room, Prof Ahmed is expected to highlight ABU significant contributions to national, regional, and global developments.
Historically, the institution came into being when in 1959 the Ashby Commission on Post-School Certificate and Higher Education recommended that a university should be created in Zaria to serve the then Northern Region of Nigeria.
In April, 1961, a Law establishing a Provisional Council of Northern Nigeria was passed by the Legislature of Northern Nigeria, and the Provisional Council was established in November, 1961 under the Chairmanship of Sir Kashim Ibrahim. Kashim later became Governor of Northern Nigeria and Visitor to the university.
Sir Norman Stanley Alexander, a New Zealander, and Professor of Physics at the then University College, Ibadan was appointed the first Principal and later Vice-Chancellor who assumed office in November, 1961.
The university was named after Sir Ahmadu Bello, Sardauna of Sokoto and Premier of Northern Nigeria, who, as the first Chancellor of the university, performed its opening ceremony on 4th October, 1962.
ABU has its origin in the defunct Nigerian College of Arts, Science, and Technology, Zaria, founded in 1955; the Clerical Training Centre (the present Institute of Administration), Kongo, established in 1947; the Samaru Agricultural Research Station (now Institute for Agricultural Research – IAR) founded in 1922; and the Shika Stock Farm (the present National Animal Production Research Institute – NAPRI) started in 1928.
The university started with just four faculties – Agriculture, Engineering, Law, and Sciences, 15 academic departments, and 426 students.
By a Decree (the Ahmadu Bello University [Transition] Provisions Decree of 1975), the university was taken over by the then Federal Military Government, and now enjoys the status of a federal university.
Under the successive leaderships from the pioneer Vice-Chancellor, Prof Norman Stanley Alexander to the current Vice-Chancellor, Prof Adamu Ahmed, the university increased its size, scope and depth of its academic work.
By 1987, the very year the university celebrated its 25th anniversary, ABU had turned out to be the largest and the most extensive of all universities in sub-Saharan Africa, covering a land area of about 7000 hectares.
Today, the university has continued to grow steadily over the years, especially in terms of developing new academic programmes at the undergraduate and postgraduate levels, professional programmes at certificate and postgraduate levels as well as creating new departments to cope up with the emerging challenges without compromising the set standards.
At present, ABU has a total of 18 faculties, 110 academic departments, a College of Medical Sciences, a Postgraduate College, a Distance Learning Centre, International Institute of Online Education, three Africa Centres of Excellence, and several research institutes and centres.
At the opening ceremony of the university in 1962, its founding father and mentor, Sir Ahmadu Bello, said the philosophy of Ahmadu Bello University was predicated upon the “cardinal principle of imparting knowledge and learning to men and women of all races without any distinction on the grounds of race, religion, or political beliefs”.
One of Its objectives as articulated in Article 4 of its 1962 and 1975 Laws is to provide regular and liberal courses of instruction in the humanities, sciences, and other spheres of learning of a standard required and expected of university of the highest standing.
It is to also promote research and the advancement of science and learning as well as to secure the diffusion of knowledge throughout Nigeria.
At present, the university has over 8,000 staff – both academic and non-teaching. It nurtured two universities – Bayero University, Kano and Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University, Bauchi. This is in addition to several tertiary institutions, including Colleges of Education and Polytechnics, that are affiliated to it.
In its 63 years of existence, the university has, to a great extent, met the development needs for which it was founded, especially with regards to the production of high quality graduates and community service.
ABU’s over 500,000 alumni are found all over Nigeria and many parts of the world – Africa, Europe, Asia, and the United States. Its products occupy important positions in the public and private sectors of the economy, at all levels of government, and in educational institutions of higher learning in and outside Nigeria.
Its Vice-Chancellors are as follows: Prof Norman Stanley Alexander, 1961-1966; Prof Ishaya Audu, 1966-1975; Prof Iya Abubakar, 1975-1978; Prof Oladipo Akinkugbe, 1978-1979; and Prof Ango Abdullahi, 1979-1986.
Others are Prof Nayaya Mohammed, 1986-1991; Prof Daniel Saror, 1991-1995; Major General Mamman Kontagora (rtd) as Sole Administrator, 1995-1998; and Prof Abdullahi Mahadi, 1998-2004.
They also include Prof Shehu Usman Abdullahi, 2004-2009; Prof Abdullahi Mustapha, 2010-2015; Prof Ibrahim Garba, 2015-2020; Prof Kabiru Bala, 2020-2025; and the current Vice-Chancellor, Prof Adamu Ahmed, May, 2025 to date.
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Public Affairs Directorate,
Office of the Vice-Chancellor,
Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria (NAM/AAI/AHW/SGB)
Saturday, 4th October, 2025
