COREN elects Prof Sadiq Zubairu Abubakar as New President

By Isqil Najim

The council for the Regulation of Engineering in Nigeria, COREN has elected Professor Sadiq Zubairu Abubakar as the new president, today at COREN Chamber, Abuja. He will take over from Engr Ali Alimasuya Rabiu who has served the Council meritoriously.

The new COREN president, Abubakar Sadiq is a Professor of Agricultural & Bio-resource Engineering. A graduate of Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria where he obtained his first (Agricultural Engineering) , second (Agricultural Engineering) and third degrees (Irrigation and Drainage Engineering) . He obtained Post Graduate Diplomas in International Institute for Soils & Water Management, Agricultural Research Organization (ARO), Tel-aviv, Israel; International Centre for Tropical Agricultural and Development (CIRAD), Montpellier, France; and Institute for Agric Development, Tsukuba and Tokyo International Centers, Japan, MANAGE Institute, Hyderabad in India, AFRACA in Kenya, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Cambridge, USA, respectively.

Abubakar joined the service of Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria in 1988 as assistant lecturer and extension specialist and posted to NAERLS. He was attached to Institute for Agricultural Research and Department of Agric & Bio-resource Engineering. He was appointed to professorial rank in Agricultural & Bio-resource Engineering in 2005.

Aside his commitment to academic activities at both undergraduate and postgraduate level in various universities across the country, Abubakar has been involved in the conduct of applied research, promotion of improved technologies and practices, provision of support services, capacity building of diverse clients including field extension staff and managers, farmers, etc nationwide. He was a visiting lecturer at CIRAD for research in irrigation farming system and in CEMAGREF for teaching and training in hydraulics and irrigation system simulation both in Montpellier, France; He led several FAO, World Bank and French Embassy missions to develop policy and strategic documents on Irrigation and Drainage for Nigeria, Ghana, Gambia and West African Sub region.

Professor Abubakar administrative experience include as HOD of Agricultural & Bio-resource Department and of Agricultural Engineering & Irrigation Research Program in NAERLS (1996-2000); Officer-in-Charge of Agricultural Extension Service Delivery for North-West Agro-Ecological Zone (2000-2004); Deputy Director of NAERLS (2004-2008), Executive Director of NAERLS (2008-2012). He was appointed as the Dean of School of Postgraduate Studies in ABU, Zaria (Feb, 2017-June 2019) and as the Deputy Vice Chancellor (Administration) of Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria between 19th June 2019 to 2021. Professor Abubakar, until recently, also served as Vice Chancellor, City University, Kano.

Engr. Professor Abubakar have to his credit as output of his 31 years of academic career 194 publications including 29 journals, 2 edited book, 7 book chapters, 23 edited proceedings, 33 conference papers, 12 extension bulletins, 6 extension guides, 37 training workshop papers, 20 research reports, 16 technical reports, 9 edited training manuals.

Professor Abubakar was involved in more than 21 projects sponsored by development partners like FAO, WB, ATI, IFAD, USAID, DFID, French Embassy in Nigeria, other donors, multi and bi-lateral collaborations, Government interventions.

Within ABU, during his tenure as Director, NAERLS (2008-2012) he conceived and established NAERLS Suites and Conference Centre a facility that serve the university great value in terms of accommodation and conference events. He remodeled and rebranded School of Postgraduate Studies both physically and operationally during his tenure as Dean of SPGS (Feb 2017-June 2019).

During his tenure as DVC, Professor Abubakar led a task force established to plan the migration of ABU to a Postgraduate University where emphasis would place on PG studies and research to address current societal challenges with a trajectory of moving to a research-based and mentor university catering for the younger and new universities and polytechnics in the long.

Professor Abubakar is an active member and fellow of many professional bodies, among which are American Society of Agric & Bio-Res Engineers (ASABE), International Committee on Irrigation & Drainage (ICID) Nigerian Society of Engineers (NSE), Nigerian Institution of Agric Engineers (NIAE), International Soil Tillage Research Organization (ISTRO), Agricultural Extension Society of Nigeria (AESON), etc. He is a registered and practicing Engineer with Council of Registered Engineers of Nigeria (COREN). He was the National Chairman of Nigerian Institution of Agricultural Engineers (NIAE) between 2008 and 2012. He served NSE in various capacities for over 2 decades. He has also served as a member of COREN Council and Chairman of Education and Training (E&T) Standing Committee of the Council and as a member of the Engineering Accreditation Board (EAB) of Nigeria under the supervision of COREN which promote the mobility of Nigerian Engineers to work in all Washington Accord signatory countries.

He is happily married with children.

The Council for the Regulation of Engineering in Nigeria, COREN, was established by decree 55 of 1970 and amended by Decree 27 of 1992, now the “Engineers (Registration, etc) Act, CAP E11 of 2004” Law of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. The Act establishes COREN as a statutory body of the Federal Government empowered to regulate the Practice of Engineering in all aspects and ramifications in Nigeria.