Aminu deserves being celebrated for an endowed life that is full of success and total devotion to the service of humanity. Born on August 25, 1939 in Song, Adamawa State, Jibril Aminu had rose from the little boy in the hinterland to one of the most remarkable students to pass through the Ibadan University Medical School with distinctions and perhaps one individual that has had the most profound impact on the development and direction of higher education in Nigeria in the 70s through the 80s.
The name of Jibril Aminu evokes multiple, in fact, sometimes strikingly contrasting reactions from different people in the country. This is because in most of his public life, the fellow has remained an issues man; never afraid of controversies, ever strong on his positions which are often well informed and based on strong convictions and vision. For being strong willed, forthright and intelligently defensive on whatever he saw as right, even if unpopular, he was called names, threatened and even victimised. But he was never cowed.
Described as intelligent by his teachers, forthright by his subordinates, upright by his superiors and an achiever by society, Prof. Aminu has everything to thank God for. He has attained the apex of his profession as a Professor of Medicine and Chancellor of a University; held important national and international positions, some of which are: Senior Lecturer/Consultant in Medicine and Sub Dean (Clinical) at the University of Ibadan; Executive Secretary, National Universities Commission (NUC); Vice Chancellor, University of Maiduguri; Minister of Education, Minister of Petroleum and Mineral Resources; President of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC); Member, Nigeria National Constitutional Conference; Member, Board of Trustees of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP); Ambassador of Nigeria to the United States of America (USA) and a Senator of the Federal Republic. Without doubt, his credentials are truly intimidating as well as admirably uplifting.
Aminu’s high profile exposure in public life started early after he qualified as a Consultant Physician crowned with a PhD in Medicine from the University of London in 1971. He took up appointment in the Ministry of Health in Maiduguri with posting to the General Hospital and the Nursing Home. That was also when he conceived, planned and supervised the take off of the Maiduguri Specialist Hospital which later transformed into the University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital. He supervised the project to its conclusion and set the record of being the Physician to have admitted the first patient of the Hospital on February 18, 1982. In 1973, he resigned from the State government to return to his beloved University of Ibadan as a Lecturer and Consultant Cardiologist in the Medical School under his respected teachers like Professors Akinkugbe, Osuntokun and Nwokolo. He was excited to have returned to Ibadan and particularly to rejoin the distinguished Faculty at the University College Hospital. Shortly after, he was promoted a Senior Lecturer and appointed the Sub Dean (Clinical) under Professor Osuntokun. Among his students in Ibadan were fellows like Professor Babatunde Osotimehin, Dr. Doyin Okupe and Senator Dr. Mamora.
While enjoying his job at Ibadan, General Yakubu Gowon appointed him the pioneer Executive Secretary of the National Universities Commission (NUC) in March 1975. The news of the appointment surprised him. At 35, with a PhD and a Fellowship in Medicine, he was happily performing his job as a young academic and a Consultant Cardiologist at the UCH in Ibadan. He had no cause to want to leave when his career progression was satisfactorily in his favour. However, in life there come moments when individuals must take fundamental decisions that may appear painful but inevitable. That was the type of choice that Aminu had to make in March 1975 when he was appointed the pioneer Executive Secretary of the NUC. There he was in love with his career in Ibadan, enjoying the full support of his senior colleagues on one hand and the request by the Head of State who was his senior and mentor in the secondary school asking him to take up a challenging and pioneering assignment, on the other. Whichever option he took, he was bound to make somebody that he respected unhappy. Literarily, he had to subdue his inner self to take leave of absence from the UI for service to the land at a higher level in the NUC by accepting the offer from General Gowon.
At the NUC he midwifed the conception and foundational development of the second generation in universities in Maiduguri, Calabar, Jos, Sokoto, Port Harcourt, Kano and Ilorin. He also saw to the expansion and consolidation of the gains of the six first generation universities in Ibadan, Lagos, Zaria, Nsukka, Ife and Benin. Under him, the NUC facilitated the development of their individual Master Plans.
He voluntarily left the NUC at the end of his first tenure to proceed to the Howard University Medical School in Washington DC, USA on a sabbatical appointment as a Visiting Professor during the 1979/80 session at the beginning of October. During the same period, too, he doubled as an International Scholar at the Cleveland Clinic in Ohio, USA. It was from there that President Shehu Shagari approved his appointment as the Vice Chancellor of the University of Maiduguri in 1980.
He served for five years during which he focused on the implementation of the University’s academic and physical master plans. He supervised massive infrastructural development of the campus covering staff quarters, laboratories, faculty courts, roads, etc. He also increased the faculties from four to eight, recruited internationally acknowledged academics, embarked on massive staff training and development; and reformed and enforced staff and students’ discipline. The students’ population increased and UNIMAID attracted staff and students on a balanced basis from all over the country and beyond.
Less than one year into his second term as the VC of UNIMAID, the Military Government of General Ibrahim Babangida appointed Jibril Aminu as its Education Minister in August, 1985. With the eminent support of the President, Aminu confronted the challenges of improving the fortunes of the sector in a period of structural adjustment characterized by withdrawal of subsidies, deregulation of the Naira, explosive students’ population, industrial and students’ unrests, and underground political machinations, among others.
Notwithstanding the challenges, his five-year tenure in the Education Ministry witnessed the evolution of bold, many a times controversial, but truly important policies and actions that favoured the poor and the disadvantaged, increased access and liberalised its administration in the country. His tenure and perspective in the Education Ministry dismantled an old order that gave way to the shaping of a modern and an equitable system in the Ministry and indeed the sector. The number of federal institutions like universities, polytechnics, colleges of education increased; the sector became more sensitive to the federal character principle, new policies like that of NPEC, indigenisation of JAMB, Nomadic and Gifted Children education, etc were put in place.
In 1989, he was transferred to the Ministry of Petroleum and Mineral Resources. During his stay at Petroleum, Aminu displayed a passionate commitment in understanding the intricacies and politics of the industry locally and internationally. Indeed, he learnt fast; thus his tenure heralded some revolutionary policies like the indigenization of oil exploration; initiating oil exploration in the Benue Valley and other Northern parts of the country; building of new depots; constructing the Eleme Petrochemical Plant; initiating the LNG project; building of the NNPC Headquarters in Abuja and opening up of the sector to all Nigerians for employment and business. He spearheaded the formation of the African Petroleum Producers Association of which he was the President in 1991. He was also elected the President of the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) from 1992-1993. Before he left the Ministry, the country’s oil and gas reserves had increased considerably and many Nigerians had engaged in oil exploration in different parts of Nigeria.
When new parties came on board in 1999, Aminu, with other prominent Nigerians founded the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) that later won the National elections, held in May, 1999. Subsequently, President Obasanjo appointed him Nigeria’s Ambassador to the United States of America. Without doubt, he was a successful ambassador; he was so successful that he represented the African continent as a Speaker at the White House in memory of those that died on September 11, 2001. In 2003, he returned to the country to contest for the Adamawa Central Senatorial seat elections. He won the elections and in 2007, contested for a second term. Again, he emerged victorious. For eight years, he chaired the Senate Committee on Foreign Affairs. However, he withdrew from the contest in the 2011 elections for some personal reasons. Today, he has retired to a private life but not tired of sharing with the nation his experience, knowledge and wisdom. I wish you a lot more of God’s blessings and favours on this special day in your life.
• Professor Pate is of the Department of Mass Communication, UNIMAID.
No comments:
Post a Comment