Abubakar Surajo Imam becomes first army officer to attain professor rank

Abubakar Surajo Imam, a lieutenant colonel, has achieved the feat of being the first serving army personnel to become a professor.

Imam is from the department of mechatronics engineering, Nigerian Defence Academy (NDA) Kaduna.

AM Tukur, registrar of the NDA, announced the promotion in a statement on Friday.

Tukur said the promotion was ratified during the NDA council meeting in September and took effect from October 1, 2023.

The registrar said the council’s decision was a reflection of the confidence and recognition of the contributions of Imam to his department. 

Tukur said the new professor has provided exemplary services and upheld the standard of excellence expected in his field.

“This recognition not only honours Professor Imam but also highlights the commitment of the Nigerian Defence Academy to acknowledging and rewarding outstanding contributions within its academic community,” NAN quoted Tukur as saying. 

“On behalf of the Commandant and staff of the Academy, I sincerely congratulate you on your well-deserved promotion.

“It is expected that you will continue to work hard to justify the confidence.”

WHO IS IMAM?

Imam, who hails from Kankia in Katsina state, has a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from Bayero University, Kano.

He also holds master’s and PhD degrees in mechatronics and robotics from Newcastle University, United Kingdom.

Imam joined the military as a member of short service combatant course 32 and was assigned to the army’s corps of electrical and mechanical engineering.

He later converted to regular commission and served in numerous units including 1 base workshop, technical group EME, HQ Nigerian Army Electrical and Mechanical Engineers Corps, and Defence Industries Corporation of Nigeria (DICON).

The professor is an examiner and member of the central selection committee for master’s and PhD candidates sponsored by the Petroleum Technology Development Fund (PTDF).

He is a researcher with DICON, the Defence Research and Development Bureau (DRDB), Abuja, Command Engineering Depot (CED), Buffalo Engineering Technology (BET), and the National Agency for Science and Engineering Infrastructure (NASENI).

Imam is also a researcher with the Air Force Institute of Technology, Kaduna, Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, and Aliko Dangote University of Science and Technology in Wudil, Kano state.

The NDA said the new professor has attended over 40 international workshops and numerous seminars.

He has also presented papers at several conferences in the United Kingdom, Spain, Egypt and the United States of America.

Imam currently serves as the head of NDA’s department of mechatronics engineering and he is also the director of the Centre for Innovation and Creativity.