By Prof Hassan A. Saliu
Prof. Shuaibu Ibrahim turned 73. He is a man of many parts rolled into one. A professor and unionist who had the rare honour of serving as the Secretary-General of the bank workers union for more than a decade that played a role in Nigeria’s transition to democracy. He studied at the famous Ahmadu Bello University when the Nigerian university system was relatively stable. After obtaining his initial degrees, he pursued his doctoral programme at the University of Jos, which he later completed. He spent most of his academic career at Nasarawa State University, where he was made a professor and subsequently retired in 2023. He is not yet tired of rendering his services as he still maintains a relationship with the university as a contract officer, a tradition that has kept valuable hands in the system even after retirement.
While in the active service of the university, he mentored many younger colleagues, some of whom are now Professors in their own right. It is hard to write the history of the University, particularly its Department of Political Science, without reserving a big space for him because of his wide-ranging contributions to its growth. He has made significant contributions to International Relations through his publications. He is not only a university person. His services have been sought by the wider society. He was Secretary-General of the bank workers union, which, together with other unions such as the Nigerian Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas (NUPENG) fought the military over the annulment of the 1993 presidential election won by Chief M. K. O. Abiola but erased by the Babangida regime, and later led to the agitation for its validation.
Under Governor Yahaya Bello of Kogi State, he was appointed the Chairman of the Local Government Service Commission, where he tried his best to straighten things up. Prof. Ibrahim headed the Nigerian Political Science Association (NPSA) from 2015 to 2018, handing over to Prof. A. M. Okolie at the Abakaliki conference held in 2018. His era as President of the NPSA was remarkable for initiating online membership registration and for organising two conferences: one in Port Harcourt in 2016 and another in Abakaliki in 2018. We also revived the zonal structure under him and began occasional publications, including a research methodology volume, by commissioning members to contribute chapters. The book was edited by Prof. Oga Ajene and Prof. A. M. Okolie.
On a personal level, I served as his Vice for three years, a journey that began at the Keffi conference of the NPSA, where my ambition to be president was dashed, and I returned to Ilorin as Vice-President. I was then persuaded by him and Prof. Egwu to serve as his Vice, which I accepted reluctantly. That decision later proved to be a wise one, as it prepared me for my presidency in 2021 at the Ilorin NPSA conference. His era, and that of Prof. Okolie, under whom I also served as Vice-President, laid the foundation for my presidency in terms of activism and performance.
Prof. Ibrahim gave me a free hand to conceive and formulate programmes for the Association. I must have been the most active VP in the NPSA history, judging by the level of my involvement in the two administrations. Prof. Ibrahim is therefore correct in maintaining that both of us did his presidency. I won his confidence through my loyalty and hard work. I never failed to deliver on whatever was assigned to me. Perhaps the seed of the confidence I enjoyed with him was planted in Ilorin twelve years earlier, when he attended my conference as Head of Political Science in Ilorin in 2003. He presented a paper. We did not meet again until Keffi in 2015, when I was elected his Vice, and by that time he too had become a Professor.
I crack jokes with him a lot, and our relationship has grown over the years. He attended the launch of the book produced in my honour early in the year (2026) at Lokoja. Prof. Ibrahim is not complex to relate to. All he requires is to be taken through an issue, and once he is convinced, he will be on the road to implement the consensus.
As he turns 73, I, on behalf of the interim exco, congratulate him on scaling the hurdles to reach this milestone, which is not easy given the situation in the country.
Prof. Ibrahim is happily married with grown-up children.
Happy birthday to my Oga!
The author teaches Political Science at Nigeria’s University of Ilorin!
