By Stanley Mijah
The name Engineer Professor Fati Astapawa Adamu doesn’t seem to ring a bell, right? It is not a familiar identity in the nation’s political lexicon but it is a name highly respected and adored in the world of academics. Without mincing words, she is like a special plant or herb hidden in the midst of a thick forest with tremendous curative powers for various ailments. It is hidden to many but only a few determined minds could discover its location and potency. In fact the female Professor is a cure to the nation’s ailing economy. She is a woman of substance with an impressive, intimidating and towering credentials. The first and only female Professor of Engineering (Farm Power and Machinery) in the Department of Agricultural and Environmental Engineering , School of Engineering and Engineering Technology, MAUTECH, Yola from its inception in 1981/1982 session up-to 1998 when she joined the university to date, the first in the entire Northern Nigeria as well as the third in Nigeria.
In spite of the fact that this great woman of substance has reached the pinnacle of fame in the most demanding nation’s sector of food security related to agricultural mechanization, her utilization in our current national conversation for technological growth and rebirth as well as being a valuable asset cannot be overemphasized. Adamawa State must consider itself pretty lucky to have produced one of the only three female engineering Professors in the country, hence the need to recognize her. She rose to the peak of her career by dint of hard work and dexterity. Her unequalled zeal and determination to make it to the top makes her one of the surviving female engineers among her male counterparts. Just a brief acquaintance with this female Professor of engineering leaves you with a better understanding of the propelling force behind her success story.
Fati, is a strong personality who accepts and faces any challenge that comes her way with vigor and determination to succeed. She is humble, gentle, up right and can be very blunt with the truth to a fault. She abhors social injustice, falsehood and contemptuous behaviors but believes in sincerity, truth and honesty. This may not be farfetched from her upbringing coming from a God-fearing Islamic parents who taught her morals and decency. She is a woman of destiny, though a product contrary to her parents’ desire and prayers to produce a male engineer in the family, it was a request Almighty Allah answered in reverse order. If kindness is a virtue, I think she has one. She is a woman any lucky man would like to have as a wife and a mother any decent child would like to have because she has learnt to strike a balance between matrimonial responsibilities and official duties. She could sacrifice her comfort to make her family happy. Her saddest moments were when she lost her parents and two of her children between 1999 and 2004 respectively. Like any other person, she has her best moments too. Narrating her experience, the female Prof said that it all happened while she was in Saudi on pilgrimage and she received a confirmation of her nomination for common wealth Scholarship Staff Award to study in London. If Professor Fati were a man, one would have easily taken her for a clergy due to her highly principled and honest posture. Under a normal circumstance, in any developing or developed society today, the likes of Professor Fati would have been a celebrity because of her track records and contribution to national development. There is no convincing explanation as to why a woman of such repute and valour has not been fully engaged on the shores of Adamawa state or the nation as a whole to contribute to national development.
Fati summed up her character when she said, “I am focused and determined to achieve my goals. All I do is to read, read and read. I am sincere, honest and hardworking. I don’t have time for worldly pleasures; all I do is to sincerely devote myself to fasting and prayers and work hard. I am not the querulous and demanding type. I accept and face challenges as they come without complaining. I do not envy nobody and that is the secret of my success. I hate dishonesty and insincerity. Now that my three surviving children (Sa’adatu, Abdulkarim and Rilwan) are pursuing their postgraduate / undergraduate studies and two of whom are already married with children invariably making me a proud grandmother, I feel as if I am the most favoured of all women. I am quite very happy, fulfilled and contented. I have no intention venturing into partisan politics for now but I can accept appointment or responsibility in government to translate into concrete reality my knowledge and experiences.”
Born to the family of Alhaji and Hajja Adamu Sakuma Bazza on December 12, 1968 in Bazza village of Michika Local Government, Adamawa State, Engr. Prof, Fati is the fifth born from her polygamous family. Few among her kindreds include, Haj. Duduwa Adamu, Dr. Musa Adamu both of the Federal Polytechnic, mubi, Haj.Hajara Adamu of Federal Road Safety Yola, Mallam Sani Adamu of the ATV Yola, Alhaji Haruna Adamu of the Teaching hospital Maiduguri, Ustas Isa Adamu a Business man Auditor Ilyasu Adamu Resident in Jos, etc. She was enrolled as a pupil into Mubi I Primary School in 1973. After her completion in 1978, she got admission as one of the pioneer students of Government Secondary School,Madagali where she was privileged to be among the best students selected to move to Government Science Secondary School, Jalingo now the capital of Taraba State and graduated by 1983 with very good results . In 1984 she got married as a young girl with a promising future. She had to seek further studies because she was not satisfied with level of her education. In her own imagination, she taught that the only way to get employment in Pakka, Maiha Local Government were she got married was to be a primary Teacher, a dream she graciously achieved. . She enrolled in Teachers College Mubi in 1984 and graduated in 1986 with the best overall results. The Primary School Management Board now Universal Basic Education gave her excellent Academic Awards, permanent and pensionable appointment with effect from 1988 to teach in primary school and offered her scholarship to any Nigerian University of her choice. She had two children before she secured admission to further her education in University of Maiduguri in 1990-1996, where she graduated with second class upper division. She was posted to Kogi state for the one year mandatory NYSC. In consideration of her marital status as a nursing mother of a two weeks old baby, she was redeployed to Yola for her primary assignment with the Agric, credit loan section of Central Bank of Nigeria Yola branch between 1997 and 1998. Her NYSC personal Community Development Service include, Development and Performance Evaluation of maize thresher and seed planter, Delivered lectures on Carreer prospects to Students of Federal Government Girls College Yola desiring to study Engineering, Organized Awareness lectures on Importance of Girl Child Education and Effect of Depriving Children of Schooling in Girei Local Government of Adamawa State in 1998 among several others. She also bagged several Awards: She was given Local Government award, State Government award and automatic appointment as Agricultural Engineer II in Adamawa Ministry of Agriculture where her father worked and retired as a chief driver in Kofare. She worked for only few months and was called for national award and another automatic Federal appointment of her choice. She chose to be a lecturer in the then Federal University of Technology, Yola (FUTY) now Modibbo Adama University of Technology (MAUTECH), Yola and transferred her services in 1998 to MAUTECH, Yola. She enlisted for a six months computer programme with the Adamawa State Polytechnic, Yola due to the significance attached to computer literacy in our contemporary society. She enrolled for Master’s Degree in FUTY in 2000 – 2002 and graduated with excellent results on full sponsorship by FUTY. She enrolled for PhD in 2004 in Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University (ATBU), Bauchi. When she was about to graduate, she was nominated for Commonwealth Academic Staff Scholarship in 2007 which was successfully obtained and tenable at Cranfield University United Kingdom. She graduated on split site basis in 2010. Her 1st, 2nd and 3rd Degrees are all in Agricultural and Environmental Engineering. Dissertations, completed, approved and submitted by the female engineering Professor for all her Degrees are on development and performance of Agricultural machines. Engr. Prof. Fati is registered with the following professional bodies at home and abroad: American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers, British Institution of Agricultural Engineers, Council for the Regulation of Engineers in Nigeria, Corporate and Graduate of Nigeria Society of Engineers, Nigerian Institution of Agricultural Engineers and Association of Professional Women Engineers. Engr. Prof. Fati’s impressive career, honesty and distinctive personality may not be unconnected to the fact that she was tutelaged by white expatriates and reputable Nigerian mentors from primary school to her PhD. For example in primary, she was taught by an Indian, Mr Fayas Ahmad, seconday by two females from Poland, Miss Caroline and Miss Juliet. At her 1st Degree she was supervised by Pakistani, Prof. A. Hague, 2nd Degree supervised by a Russian, Engr. Prof. Smekhnov E. and 3rd Degree by Engr. Prof. James Brighton and Dr. Richard Terrence. Some of her Nigerian mentors include, Mallam Kallamu Mubi, Engr. Prof John Ohu University of Maiduguri, Engr. Prof. Umar Bobboi, Rector of the Adamawa State Polytechnic , Yola, Engr. Prof. Muhammad Hamisu Muhammad ATBU Bauchi, Engr. Prof. Abdullahi El-Okene ABU Zaria, , among others.
Interestingly, Senator Muhammad Jibrilla Bindow, the present Governor of Adamawa State was her classmate in primary school. Among her primary school mates include, Bello from Lokuwa in mubi, Hassana and Hussaina Umaru Jibrilla, Fadimatu Dauda Bellel, Mairama Umaru Jaringol, Nana Ahmed Tijjani, Barrister Bilkisu Ahmed Tijjani, etc, Her classmates in Secondary school also include, Engr. Prof. Joseph Apagu, HOD civil MAUTECH, Yola, Lazarus Papka Abuja, Adiju Zubairu Abuja, Usman Buba Abuja, Hajara Kwada specialist hospital Yola, Hajja Bakari Jalingo, Aishatu Sanusi Jalingo etc. She had Engr. Dr. Ahmadu Babayi, Engr. Dr. Aliyu Halilu Hong of Mautech, Yola, Abdullahi Makinta and Abubakar Yakubu Wanka as some of her mates during her first Degree , while Engr.Dr. Nick Nemesan of Taraba state University and Umar Mshellia were her only mates during her Master’s Degree. Some of the countries she visited include, the United States of America, United Kingdom, Saudi Arabia, Dubai, Accra Ghana, Cotonou, Benin Republic, Dakar etc.
Engr. Prof. Fati is currently serving with the Department of Agricultural and Environmental Engineering, School of Engineering and Engineering Technology, MAUTECH, Yola. She has always remained a point of reference to her male counterparts in the world of academics by her mentors. She is physically, mentally and morally sound and stable. Engr. Prof. Fati apart from some administrative assignments from time to time is lecturing and supervising both post graduate and undergraduate students. She has lectured for almost 20 years in several Nigerian Universities and worked for some time abroad. She is an author of Fundamentals for Engineers in Society 1st and 2nd Edition, published over 60 reputable journals and attended more than 20 conferences at home and abroad. She has held and is still holding several office responsibilities within and outside the state some of which are, Pioneer Executives of the Nigeria Society of Engineers Yola branch, Examiner, Nigerian Society of Engineers North East Zone, Editorial member of International Journal of Engineering and Technology Research (IJETR), Permanent Senate member of MAUTECH, Yola, Council Governing Board member of the Adamawa State University, member National Association of Women Academics etc. Under the Productive and Community Development Perspective, Professor Fati had influenced the donation of more than 250 Engineering books and equipment worth millions of naira to MAUTECH by a retired Agricultural Engineer, Professor Dick Godwin from United Kingdom in 2010 which received commendation from the then VC., provided accommodation to 15 flood victims through the Chairman Adamawa Concern Citizens (ACCF) for one year in 2011, provision of funds for Women Empowerment and Sponsorship of Internally Displaced Girl Child to acquire education through her personal NGO called Fasarul Women and Girl Child Care Foundation from 2006 to date..
She is engaged in several INEC assignments such as, collation officer, senatorial and presidential returning officer. She remains a popular personality among her students and colleagues all over Nigeria with the capacity to promptly activate, motivate, mobilize and achieve results in any positive assignment. She is a perfect and unique example of a successful woman. Suffice it to say that she completed her O level as a married woman and was sponsored to undertake her university education as a mother of two and had another children during her further studies. She had the privilege of attracting and enjoying the services of sponsors to finance all her studies. She also won personal and group research grants amounting to about N73 million. She was a Sabbatical Staff of ATBU Bauchi, Agricultural and Bio-resource Engineering programme from January 2013 to January 2014.
She received her confirmation as a Professor of Agricultural Engineer Farm Power and Machinery with effect from October, 2016. In recognition of her contributions to women and National Development, the District Head of Vokuna Pakka, Alhaji Abubakar Dan Isa Mubi and his council gave her a title of Shettima with the approval and permission of Lamido Mubi, Alhaji Abubakar Isa Ahmadu which was bestowed on her son, Abdulkarim Ahmed Maunde. He was turbaned on 30th January, 2016. In the same vein, the District Head of Bazza, Alhaji Saidu Bashir Dan Madamin Mubi honored the Prof. with a traditional title of Sarauniyan Matan Bazza on 3rd January, 2017( yet to be turbaned). She was also appointed Magayakin Adamawa by Concern Citizens Foundation (ACCF) on 24th May, 2017.
What a woman of substance, a quintessential and erudite scholar of high repute.
Prof Fati with her towering achievements in spite of weighing matrimonial responsibilities of a wife and a mother has proved to the world to be a rare gem whose capabilities could match that of her male counterparts. She is an epitome of hard work and determination any nation could be proud of. Indeed she is a cure to the nation’s myraid of problems.
Stanley Mijah, a Journalist wrote from Yola
stanleymijah@gmail.com
