He prefers to be called Malam instead of professor + 15 things to know about Kabir Bala, new ABU VC

The Governing Council of the Ahmadu Bello University (ABU), Zaria yesterday announced Professor Kabir Bala as the new Vice Chancellor of the university with effect from 1st May, 2020.

Daily Trust digged deep into the credentials of this erudite Professor who personally prefers to be called ‘Malam’.

Below are top seventeen things to know about the incoming Vice Chancellor of one of Nigeria’s foremost tertiary institutions:

1. Born on January 7, 1964 at Unguwan Kanawa, Kaduna, Professor Kabir Bala is a professional Builder and a Professor of Construction Management.
2. He attended LEA, Primary School Unguwan Sarki, Kaduna. Thereafter, he moved to the famous Barewa College, Zaria and graduated in 1981. He enrolled for Interim Joint Admission and Matriculation Board (IJMB) in the School of Basic Studies of the ABU and moved on to graduate with a Bachelor’s Degree (Building) in 1985.
3. He obtained Master’s of Science Degree (Building Services) in 1990, Master’s of Business Administration in 1998 and Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in Construction Management in 2001; all from the ABU.
4. He was at the Department of Civil Engineering, Surveying and Building, University of Abertay, Dundee Scotland as a Visiting Scholar in 1995.
5. He briefly served at the Abudu Technical School in the old Bendel State and Kaduna State Ministry of Works, before he was employed by the ABU on December 10, 1987 as Graduate Assistant.
6. He became Assistant Lecturer in 1990, Lecturer II in 1993, Lecturer I in 1998, Senior Lecturer in 2001, Reader in 2004 and a Professor in 2007.
7. He has taught and examined several undergraduate and postgraduate courses and has successfully supervised over 10 Doctorate and over 30 Master’s Degree candidates.
8. He has over 80 publications in national and international academic journals as well as referred conference proceedings to his credit.
9. Professor Kabir Bala has been an External Assessor for Professorial appointments of many academics for seven universities in Nigeria.
10. He has attracted research grants from a variety of funding sources, and donations in kind for ABU to the tune of fifty-five thousand Euros (€55,000.00). He also facilitated collaboration between ABU and the University of Salford, England.
11. Professor Bala was a two-time Head of Department of Building from 2001 to 2006 and from 2010 to 2014. He was the pioneer ICT Coordinator of ABU from 2005 to 2006.
12. He was a Deputy Dean of the Faculty of Environmental Design from 2006 to 2008. He served as Director of Academic Planning and Monitoring from 2010 to 2013.
13. He was the Dean, School of Postgraduate Studies before he became Deputy Vice Chancellor (Administration).
14. He is a member of several national and international professional organizations that include the Nigerian Institute of Building (NIOB), Society of Construction Industry Arbitrators (SCIArb), International Facility Management Association, (IFMA) USA, Chartered Association of Building Engineers (CABE) U.K, International Association of Housing Science (IAHS), USA, Association for Project Management (APM) U.K, among others.
15. Professor Bala was in February 2013 appointed as Chairman of the Board of Council of Registered Builders of Nigeria (CORBON) by President Goodluck Jonathan in recognition of his contributions to the growth and development of the Building profession.
16. Similarly, in October 2013, he was appointed as a Member of the Board of the National Universities Commission, (NUC) by the President.
17. Professor Bala likes relaxing with his family and preferred to be called ‘Malam’ instead of professor. Therefore, ABU has Malam as the new VC.