ZARIA – The management of Ahmadu Bello University (ABU), Zaria, has firmly denied allegations made by Mallam Waziri Isa Adam, a lecturer at the institution, regarding the university’s refusal to promote him and obstruct his academic progress.

In a statement released on Monday by ABU spokesman Mallam Auwal Umar, the university addressed the claims made by Adam, an assistant lecturer in the Department of Mass Communication, who accused the administration of not allowing him to complete his PhD at the University of Lagos, 14 years after he enrolled in the program.

“Given the wishy-washy manner in which he presented his PhD update as captured in the release simply to deceive the public, it is pertinent for the university management to respond and make official clarification on the matter,” the statement read.

Mallam Adam has been vocal about what he perceives as unfair treatment, alleging that his academic pursuits have been “unfairly targeted due to his outspoken criticism of the VC’s actions,” leading to “significant delays and obstacles in his academic pursuits.”

Addressing these claims, the university’s statement clarified that Adam has been an assistant lecturer since January 28, 2009, following his promotion from graduate assistant after completing his M.Sc. in Mass Communication at the University of Lagos. The statement highlighted that Adam has remained in this position for over 15 years due to his failure to meet the institution’s academic promotion requirements.

“Mallam Adam joined the services of Ahmadu Bello University as a full-time staff member on the rank of graduate assistant on February 20, 2006,” the statement continued. “So, he has been a stagnated academic staff for more than 18 years, a period long enough for him to attain the peak of his career. Those who came much later than him are either associate professors or professors now.”

The university emphasized that the stagnation in Adam’s academic career is due to his inability to fulfill the necessary criteria for promotion and not as a result of any deliberate action by the institution’s management.

The statement concluded by reaffirming ABU’s commitment to fair and transparent academic and administrative processes, ensuring that all staff members have equal opportunities for professional growth based on merit and performance.