Prof Pate and FUK: A square peg in a square hole- Inuwa Hamza Yunusa

The emergence of Prof. Umar Pate as the next Vice-Chancellor of the Federal University, Kashere (FUK), Gombe State has reminded everyone that cares to listen that the nation’s ivory towers of learning always deliver when it mattered the most.

Forget about the lingering strike of lecturers that continues to dent the image of such institutions of learning, they have since carved a nitch for themselves when it comes to placing the right thing in the right place, as it happened recently a fortnight ago.

The FUK Prof-Chancellor, Yakubu H. A. Ruba (SAN) had on Thursday, 17th December 2020 announced that the Council of the university has selected a renowned communication scholar, Prof. Umar Pate as its next and 3rd Vice-Chancellor.

He is to take over from Prof. Alhassan Mohammed Gani on February 10, 2021, who completes a 5-year tenure in office.

What is even more thrilling in this is the fact that Pate’s requisite knowledge, skills and experiences were the qualities that set him apart from his contesting colleagues and not any other thing. He defeated two others in the final interview where he polled a staggering 92.2%, to defeat his closest contestant, Prof. Polycarp Emeka Chigbu with 77.8% and Prof. Santaya Larit Kela who got 75.5% in the distant third.

The figures have convincingly lend credits to the assertion that the incoming Vice-Chancellor is the perfect choice for this nascent institution, established by the Goodluck Jonathan administration in 2011.

Pate, a traditional title holder of Kaigama of Adamawa, hails from the neighboring Adamawa State and has a vast knowledge and understanding needed to develop young institutions like FUK, having traversed far and wide for his scholarship.

He studied Mass Communications at his undergraduate level, where he obtained his BA in 1987 and proceeded to bag his MSc in the same field three years later. And in 1997, the erudite professor completed his PhD.

His scholarship journey started in 1988 when he was engaged as Graduate Assistant in the Department of Mass Communications, University of Maiduguri. This set the beginning of Pate’s sterling scholarship trajectory that culminates to his present position as the Vice-Chancellor.

In UNIMAID, where he started it all, in no time, he rose through the ranks and became an Associate Professor in 2002 and attained the position of a full professor in 2007.

He was one of the few Mass Communications professors in the country, who set the pace and trailblazed every developmental sphere of the profession in Nigeria.

He served for 7 years as the Head of Department (HOD) of Mass Communications in UNIMAID. And following this meritorious service, he transferred his services to Bayero University, Kano.

In BUK, Pate set the benchmark of academic excellence and helped in midwifing the transformation of what used to be known as the Department of Mass Communication into the present Faculty of Communications.

He didn’t stop there and he took the bull by the horn in stepping ahead and becoming the pioneer Dean to ensure its proper and sound footing in what it set out to achieve.

Under his tutelage, he oversaw the massive increase of the staff and updated the obsolete curriculum to its modern and globally accepted design.

The new VC equally facilitated a number of Senior Lecturers and eventually secured their PhDs, a development that quickly turned the fortune and respect of the faculty to an unprecedented international recognition.

Not surprising that through his single-handed influence, Prof. Pate fetched numerous international accolades and sponsorships to the faculty within his stint.

First, he made the BUK’ Faculty of Communications be among the only three beneficiaries of McArthur Foundation’s grant, running into millions of America’s USD.

As if that was not enough, Prof. Pate spearheaded a powerful team on a visit to the headquarters of BBC in London. That visit effectively broke the camel’s back. It secured and convinced the BBC management into committing to revamp the Faculty’s (and university’s) only radio station.

And true to their commitment and promised, coupled with Pate’s known steadfast in marching words with actions, new, modern as well as latest radio equipment were installed at the radio station, bringing it at par with any other international radio station and far ahead of many others locally.

Having left his indelible mark in his main backyard faculty, Pate did not look back and this mark became even more glaring when the then BUK VC, Prof. Muhammad Yahuza Bello appointed him as the Dean of Postgraduate Studies.

It goes without saying that Prof. Pate embodies the triple mandate of scholarship – Teaching, Research and Community Service.

While holding this position, as well as that of being the university orator, Pate was still the Ag Chairman, Committee of Deans and Directors, Vice Chairman of TETFund Advisory Group, when he was announced as the next and 3rd VC of FUK.

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He travelled far and wide and visited a number of universities in and outside Nigeria. He served, at various times, in the NUC’s accreditation teams to many universities.

He presented academic papers in many local and international conferences and were published in a number of international journals.

He is the present National President, Association of Communication Scholars and Professionals of Nigeria.

He has, for years, being a consultant to a listless foreign NGOs and agencies, including the United Nations UNESCO.

Bearing these in mind and looking at the academic exploits, coupled with both local and international connections, the young institution can now boast of coming of age.

He may not be the messiah too, overnight, solve and uncoil myriad of challenges bedevilling the university, but one can beat his chest and surely bet that the enormous experience and respect of the incoming VC will certainly bear the needed results and uplift this nascent university to an appreciable level of academic recognition, infrastructural leaps and service-driven heights.

And while the challenge is certainly daunting, I’ll never mince word to tell everyone that cares to listen that Prof. Pate is that missing light found just at the beginning of this university’s tunnel, thereby, making it the luckiest among its 2011 university peers in the country.

Yunusa writes this piece from Kaduna and can be reached via inuwahamzay@gmail.com