By Mohammed Abubakar
Damaturu
Governor of Yobe State Mai Mala Buni has approved the appointment of Dr. Ali Ibrahim Abbas as the Yobe Focal Person and Coordinator for the North East Development Commission (NEDC). This was contained in a press statement signed by Shuaibu Abdullahi, Press Secretary to the SSG of Yobe State.
Abbas is an erudite scholar and development expert of repute. A seasonal development worker and academic prodigy, the passion and zeal with which he contributes to the growth and development of Nigeria’s socio-economic sectors command respect and accolade. It is obvious that Yobe State University (YSU) would not have ascended to its enviable status as one of the centers for quality education without the unrelenting contribution of the likes of Dr Abbas.
He is excellent at participatory policy design, fundraising, coordination and use of best monitoring and evaluation techniques. He has over the years developed interests in education, health, and infrastructure-related developments efforts in reconstruction, rehabilitation and reintegration for children, women and youth in post-conflict areas. As development expert and worker, he has been working actively with downtrodden, disadvantaged and vulnerable groups in numerous conflicts affected societies.
Abbas was born on 2nd June 1982 in Bade Local Government Area of Yobe State. After obtaining SSCE from Federal Government College Buni Yadi, he proceeded to UNIMAID where he graduated with B.Sc Public Administration in 2006. Abbas holds Post Graduate Diploma in Education (PGDE) from UNIMAID in 2008. His academic journey took him further to BUK for M.Sc Political Science obtained in 2014 before finally crowning his academic pursuit with a first-class PhD in Politics and Government from Universiti Putra Malaysia in 2017.
His early career started as a Class Teacher in 2006. Thereafter, he joined Umar Suleiman College of Education, Gashua (USCOEGA) as a part-time Lecturer. Later, he joined the institution as a full-time Assistant Lecturer, Department of General Studies. After a stay there, the service of Abbas was employed in 2008 by YSU as a Graduate Assistant. Since joining the institution till date, he served and is serving the institution in different capacities. He was the pioneer Head of Department (HOD) Public Administration from 2011 to 2014. Similarly, since 2017 till date, Dr Abbas has been serving as the HOD Political Science and Administration.
Dr Ali Abbas has served in various committees in the university including Congregation Business Committee; Senate Business committee; Project Monitoring Committee; Budget Monitoring Committee; Journal Publication Committee of Faculty of Art, Social and Management Sciences, including at various times a Student’s Academic Advisor. He has equally chaired YSU VC’s Merit and Excellence Award Committee; various Departmental Committees on Appointment and Promotion; Accreditation; Admission; Curriculum Development for BSc Political Science and Public Administration programmes, among others.
Dr Abbas has been an editor and reviewer of various journals such as Peace and Conflict Studies Journal (Nova Southeastern University, USA); Advances in Politics and Economics (Scholink, USA); International Journal of Political Science and Development (Academic Research, Nigeria); International Journal of Environment and Sustainable Development (Inderscience, Switzerland); Cogent (Taylor & Francis/Routledge, UK); Sage Open (USA), among several others.
With research interest and objective on Development Politics and Governance, Post Conflict Area Reconstruction, Rehabilitation and Reintegration, Dr Abbas has over the years contributed his quota in education, health, and infrastructural development, administration and policy, poverty reduction, youth and women empowerment, peace advocacy and building, especially in the conflict, affected North-East Nigeria. With over 35,000 online reads of his various published articles, Dr Abbas according to ResearchGate is the most widely read scholar from YSU and Yobe State.
As the founder, CEO/Lead Consultant of Sahara Integrated Consulting and Training (SICAT), he has proved himself a visionary and resourceful scholar and development worker per excellence. Through this firm with local, national and global outreach, he has served as a Resource Person, Conflict Mediator, Development Facilitator and Consultant to a number of key projects, programs, and seminars on peace, conflict and development related issues especially in Nigeria’s North-East Nigeria region where conflict and insurgency are on the rise.
Dr Abbas has been working as a Development Consultant over the years with UNDP, UNICEF, WHO, World Bank, British Council DfID, Nigeria Stability and Reconciliation Programme (NSRP), North East Regional Initiative (NERI), National Agency for the Control of AIDS (NACA), Presidential Commission of North East Intervention (PCNI), Victim Support Fund (VSF), and Multi-Sectoral Crisis Recovery Project (MCRP). He has also been working as a Consultant to some State Governments including Yobe, Adamawa, Jigawa, and Katsina etc.
Dr Abbas has been a regular peace, development and political analyst on national and international media houses such as Aljazeera, Arewa 24, Africa Tv3, NTA, TVC, Channels, AIT, WTV, YTV, Peace FM, Pride FM, to mention but a few. As an academic who gives back to his community, he has been a Member of various School Management Committees; YOSACA HIV/AIDS Advisory Fund (HAF) and Policy Advisory Committee (PAC). He also has been Patron to National Association of Public Administration Students (NAPAS); National Association of Political Science Students (NAPSS); Students Union Government (SUG); National Union of Yobe State Students (NUYOSS); Bade Emirate Students Association (BESA); and Students Intellectual Club (SIC), etc.
Apart from being Fellow Chartered Institute of Administration (FCIA), Dr Abbas is also a member of various professional bodies and associations such as International Political Science Association (IPSA), International Society for Development and Sustainability (ISDS), Institute of Registered Administrative Managers of Nigeria (IRAMN), Nigeria Political Science Association (NPSA), etc. He is also one of the youngest recipients of the prestigious Nigeria Selfless Service Gold Award (NISSGA). Dr Abbas chairs the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) YSU branch.
To his credit, Dr Ali Abbas is a Visiting Senior Lecturer to the Department of Political Science, Federal University Gashua. He has and still supervises quite a number of student’s academic projects. As a prolific writer, Dr Abbas has to his credit over 40 published articles in refereed journals, conference proceedings, book chapters, training manuals, technical reports, commissioned papers, and policy briefs. He had attended and presented over 100 papers at domestic and international workshops, seminars and invited talks. He also regularly writes political communication and opinions published in national and international dailies.
Overall, Dr Ali Ibrahim Abbas is not only a creative scholar per excellence but an active development worker who has not relented in his quest to enhance peaceful co-existence and overall socio-economic and political development of Nigerian citizenry. He is one trademark name that needs little or no introduction in any politics, peace and development fora in Yobe State, North-East and entire Nigeria.
In the recent 2019 election, Dr Abbas had served in various political capacities. He served as the Director planning and strategy of Yobe APC 2019 General Elections Campaign Organisation (GECO). He equally served as the Yobe APC Presidential Returning Officer for Muhammadu Buhari for the 23rd February 2019 Election. He also served as the APC Gubernatorial Returning Officer for Hon. Mai Mala Buni for the 9th March 2019 Election. He has as well served as Yobe State Lead and Central Coordinator for 2019 APC Election Situation Room.
In addition, Dr Abbas was the Contact Person for Yobe APC 2019 Campaign Organisation with INEC for 2019 General Elections. He was also the Election Observers Coordinator for Yobe APC 2019 Campaign Organisation for INEC Accredited Observers deployed to Yobe State. He similarly served as Support Groups Coordinator of all Trade Union, Interest Groups and Associations that registered with Yobe APC 2019 Campaign Organisation for the 2019 General Elections.
In addition to all the roles earlier mentioned, Dr Abbas had served as Patron of various election and campaign support groups such as Concerned Marketers Solidarity Forum for Buhari, Buni, Bra-Bra, 2019; Amalgamated Association for the Support of Buhari, Buni, Bra-Bra for Continuity in 2019; Progressive Youth Movement for Mai Mala Buni and Women4BuniNetwork 2019, among others.
Until his new appointment, Dr Ali Abbas is the Head of Department of Political Science and Administration, Yobe State University. He also recently served as Secretary of Teachers Audit and Verification Committee for Damaturu, Gujba and Gulani LGAs. He is also a Member of Technical Committee to Revitalise Basic and Secondary Education in Yobe State. He has served as the Summit Manager at a 2Day Yobe 1st Education Summit July 2019. He served as Lead Rapporteur at a 1Day Interactive Session of the Officials of Education Sector Agencies and key stakeholders on how to strengthen basic education in Yobe State, June 2019 after Governor Buni declared State of Emergency in the sector.
As a holder of PhD in Politics and Government with expertise and research interest in post-conflict area reconstruction, rehabilitation and resettlement, and an active development worker who have over the years acquired administrative and political experience both at lower and higher levels, certainly the appointment of Dr Ali Ibrahim Abbas as Yobe Focal Person and Coordinator for the North East Development Commission (NEDC) by His Excellency the Executive Governor of Yobe State Hon. Mai Mala Buni is a perfect match that is poised to deliver on that mandate.