Margaret Thatcher, former prime minister of the United Kingdom, once said, “If you want something said, ask a man; if you want something done, ask a woman.”
These insightful words of the former prime minister could be said to have inspired Datti Baba-Ahmed, the chancellor and founder of Baze University when he announced the appointment of Jamila Shuara as the new vice-chancellor of the institution.
Before she was appointed the new vice-chancellor, Shu’ara was the university’s registrar after her experiences as Baze University’s director of strategy and director of academic planning.
Shu’ara has a wide academic background in consumer sciences—consumer behaviour, consumer protection, public policy, consumerism, and consumer education, and has taught in many higher education institutions.
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She has robust experience managing HEIs and in top-level bureaucracy, including policy formulation, programme design, and implementation.
She served as the federal permanent secretary from 2012 to 2017, leading reforms in the education, aviation, and petroleum ministries.
She holds degrees in consumer sciences, and master’s degree from Howard University School of Human Ecology, Washington DC, USA and a Ph.D. from Bayero University Kano.
At Howard University, she was recognized severally on the Dean’s List and the Dean’s Honours Roll and was awarded a tuition-free scholarship for her studies
Shu’ara took over from Kathleen Okafor, the immediate past acting vice-chancellor, and will be occupying the office for a five-year term.
Her appointment as the vice-chancellor follows her long career in academia and public service.
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Besides, Shu’ara is a fellow of the Nigerian Institute of Management and the Home Economics Professionals Association of Nigeria (HEPAN).
She started her public service career as a lecturer and rose through academic ranks to the terminal post of chief lecturer in the Nigerian Colleges of Education system, and held administrative positions of head of department, dean, deputy provost, and provost of a Federal College of Education.
Shu’ara contributed immensely to academic quality assurance as a resource person for the NCCE, and later played crucial roles in national education policies, led the Teachers Registration Council, and managed the FME/World Bank/UBEP II project.
She led reforms in education, aviation, and petroleum ministries as federal permanent secretary.
With this appointment, Shu’ara joins the hall of fame of Nigerian female vice-chancellors such as Grace Alele-Williams, the first female vice-chancellor in Nigeria. Folasade Tolulope Ogunsola, the first female vice-chancellor of the University of Lagos.
Others are Nnenna Oti, the first female vice-chancellor of the Federal University of Technology, Owerri, Ibiyemi Ibilola Olatunji-Bello, Lagos State University, Lilian Salami, University of Benin, and Florence Obi, the vice-chancellor of the University of Calabar, among others.
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