Jamila Shuara becomes VC as Baze University reshuffles leadership

Baze University has announced key appointments in a leadership shakeup it said would reposition it for innovation.

Jamila Shu’ara, a professor of consumer services at the institution’s marketing department, has been named vice-chancellor (VC).

Shu’ara will occupy the office for a five-year term, succeeding Kathleen Okafor, the immediate past acting VC.

Yusuf Datti Baba-Ahmed, the university’s chancellor and founder, disclosed the appointment at the institution’s 37th BoT meeting.

Among other appointments, Abiodun Adeniyi has been named registrar of the institution while Dogo Mohammed Waziri has been reappointed as chief medical director (CMD) of the Baze University Hospital.

For Shu’ara, who previously served as registrar, her appointment as VC follows her long career in academia and public service.

Shu’ara holds degrees in consumer sciences from Howard University, USA, and Bayero University, Kano, earning multiple academic distinctions, including a tuition-free scholarship at Howard.

She is a fellow of the Nigerian Institute of Management and the Home Economics Professionals Association of Nigeria (HEPAN).

Her career has included roles as a lecturer, department head, deputy provost, and provost in the Nigerian colleges of education system.

Shu’ara is reputed to have contributed to national education policies and led reforms in key federal ministries, including education, aviation, and petroleum, as a Permanent Secretary between 2012 and 2017.

In turn, the newly appointed registrar Abiodun Adeniyi is an academic, journalist, and communications expert.

He holds a degree from Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, and a master’s in international communications from the University of Leeds, UK, under a British Chevening Scholarship.

His doctoral research on internet and diasporic communication was among the first African-centred dissertations published by the University of Leeds.

Adeniyi has extensive experience in academia and consultancy, having served as a communications consultant for the World Bank.

He was previously the dean of Baze University’s School of Postgraduate Studies and headed the mass communication department from 2016 to 2023.

Dogo Mohammed Waziri is continuing as CMD of Baze University Hospital.

A respected healthcare administrator, he is acclaimed to have played a role in expanding Nigeria’s National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) beyond civil servants.

His expertise in health policy and management has been recognised internationally, with invitations to global conferences on healthcare financing.

Baze’s chancellor and founder Baba-Ahmed described the appointments as a strategic move to bolster its reputation as a leading institution of higher learning.

He called on faculty, students, and alumni to support the new leadership team in advancing the university’s mission of academic excellence and research innovation.