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By Kabir Abdulsalam
The immediate-past Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Professor Isa Ali Pantami, has revealed how a group of professors at the Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University (ATBU), in Bauchi State, played a crucial role in securing his first academic appointment in 2003.
Pantami disclosed this in his 341-page book titled “A Scholar’s Journey: Navigating Academia,” unveiled in Abuja, last Wednesday.
According to him, some professors, impressed by his academic excellence and dedication to community service, persuaded the then Vice Chancellor, Prof. Abubakar Sani Sambo, to bring him back to the university after graduation.
“A group of professors led by my mentor, Prof. Bindawa, Alhaji Ali Deba, Prof. Abubakar Muhammad, and Prof. Ladan Shehu, convinced the university that my skills and commitment would fill a vital gap in crucial services, at ATBU”.
He went: “Without any ado, the VC, Professor Abubakar Sani Sambo, agreed and stated that his thoughts also aligned with theirs. Therefore, based on this noble gesture and recommendations by the group, I was offered an appointment at the university”.
In his memoir, Pantami also emphasized the importance for students to balance theoretical knowledge with practical skills to succeed in the labour market.
“At this point, it is worth noting that while industrial attachment is a good programme for students to learn new skills, it does not expose people to a sufficient level of requisite skills.
“For me, however, when I participated in the industrial attachment scheme, it helped me build the foundation for acquiring technical skills.
“Therefore, at the Centre, I also used the opportunity to help students who came for industrial training with us to learn similar skills I acquired in software and programming languages like Java, C++, C, and Pascal,” he said.
The former Minister also urged Nigerian tertiary institutions to prioritize practical skills courses during curriculum development to give practical skills and hands-on projects equal, or even greater, weight than theoretical exams.
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