Vice-Chancellor calls for government intervention in financing conferences organised by public universities
… As ABU holds maiden international conference on ‘Statistical Sciences and Data Analytics’
The Vice-Chancellor, Ahmadu Bello University, Prof. Adamu Ahmed, has called for the Federal Government intervention in sponsoring conferences organised by public universities in Nigeria.
Prof. Ahmed made the call at the 1st International Conference on Statistical Sciences and Data Analytics (ICSSDA 2025) held at Yusufu Bala Usman Hall on Tuesday, 8th July, 2025.
The Vice-Chancellor, who was represented by the Deputy Vice-Chancellor, Advancement, Research and Innovation, Prof. Aliyu Rafindadi Sanusi, stressed the need for the intervention as universities could not put the bills of conferences given their financial constraints.
He further said that for universities to hold conferences where innovative methods and ideas were shared government intervention was needed to sustain the initiative.
In his address, the Dean, Faculty of Physical Sciences, Prof. Ibrahim Abdulkadir, said the conference was designed to be a melting pot of ideas, a forum where to explore groundbreaking innovations that reshape methodologies and tools.
Prof. Abdulkadir emphasized that statistics and data analytics contribute in solving the world’s most pressing problems from climate change, public health, economic development and social equity and security.
In his remarks, the Chairman of the Occasion, Prof. Sahalu Balarabe Junaidu, described the age of data as oil of the future.
He further said the papers to be presented would uncover challenges, innovations that would lead to global impact.
Earlier in an address, the Head of Department of Statistics, Prof. Abubakar Yahaya, said the maiden conference was not only a meeting of brilliant minds but also a fusion of innovation, collaborations and transformation.
He prayed that the discussion would enrich understanding, inspire partnerships, spark innovations, as well as influence policy and practice across various domains.
The keynote speaker of the conference, Dr. Jamilu Garba, Statistician-General, Jigawa State Bureau of Statistics, spoke on the prospects and applications of statistics in the modern world of governance.
Also speaking, a Specialist, Prof Adegboye Abdulwasiu Oyetola, a Senior Biostatistician of Charles Darwin University, Australia, presented a paper on “Tackling Refusal Bias in Prevalence Estimates from National Surveys”, while Dr. Pitchaya Wiratchotisatian of the Department of Statistics, Khon Kean University, Thailand, spoke on “From Risk to Response: Harnessing Statistics and Machine Learning for Better Health Outcomes”.
Highpoints of the event were presentations of awards to deserving personalities.
Public Affairs Directorate,
Office of the Vice-Chancellor,
Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria (NAM)
Wednesday, 9th July, 2025
