The book, titled “Umaru A. Pate: An Icon of Visionary Leadership, Knowledge, Transformation and Impactful Change,” was unveiled at a ceremony attended by former governors, serving vice-chancellors, senior federal officials, and leading media practitioners in Abuja.
The Federal University of Kashere (FUK) in Gombe State has launched a book in honour of its immediate past Vice-Chancellor, Umaru Pate, celebrating a tenure that officials and scholars say fundamentally transformed the institution.
Mr Pate, a professor of media and society, concluded his five-year tenure as Vice-Chancellor of FUK in February 2026.
His administration is credited with establishing a college of medical sciences, launching 17 new academic programmes, and expanding the university’s total offerings to 56 undergraduate and 49 postgraduate programmes.
The Pro-Chancellor and Chairman of FUK’s Governing Council, William Olu-Aderounmu, who also edited the book, said Mr Pate’s legacy was defined not by title but by verifiable results.
“Leadership is not about titles. It is about impact and verifiable results,” Mr Olu-Aderounmu said, adding that, “Professor Pate left behind a legacy of transformative leadership, academic excellence, and infrastructural development that has reshaped this institution. He has successfully executed so many projects and transformed this university into one of the best in the country.”
Dignitaries at the event included Danjuma Goje, former Gombe State governor and senator; Abdullahi Ribadu, executive secretary of the National Universities Commission (NUC); Inuwa Jaafaru, vice-chancellor of FUK; Haruna Musa, vice-chancellor of Bayero University, Kano; and Ibrahim Umar, vice-chancellor of Modibbo Adama University.
Also present were former Federal University of Dutse Vice-Chancellor, J.D. Amin, a professor, who represented ex-INEC chairman Attahiru Jega; Bauchi State Commissioner of Information Usman Shehu; and a former Bauchi State Commissioner of Education, Jamila Dahiru.
In his opening remarks, Mr Ribadu, a professor, said he had known Mr Pate as a man of integrity whose work in media and communication studies had earned recognition across Nigeria, Africa and beyond.
“More importantly, his contributions have gone beyond the academic community,” Mr Ribadu said. “One clear example is his work on media and conflict. Drawing from the realities of the North-east, Mr Pate has shown how journalists can report sensitive issues with care, especially in times of tension — particularly during elections and periods of insurgency, where responsible reporting can make a real difference in sustaining peace and reducing tensions.”
The NUC executive secretary added that Mr Pate’s practical engagement also shaped policy within Nigeria’s university system. “Through his engagement with the NUC, he contributed to the unbundling of the mass communication discipline, helping to position our universities to respond to a rapidly changing media environment,” Mr Ribadu said.
Earlier, former governor Goje, who described himself as an “evidence-based witness” to FUK’s transformation, had delivered one of the most emphatic tributes of the afternoon.
“Personally, I have high respect for Professor Pate. Over time, he earned my respect and admiration based purely on his intellectual integrity, administrative transparency, and his deep personal love for the university,” Mr Goje said. “I can testify that Professor Pate loved Kashere University. I can prove that he sweated and laboured for it.”
Mr Goje cited several landmark projects he attributed to Mr Pate’s administration, including the Jibril Aminu College of Medical Sciences, which he said was initiated and commissioned by Mr Pate. Some of these projects included the MBBS, Nursing, Dentistry, Occupational Therapy and related disciplines — as well as a University Guest House in Abuja’s Asokoro district, a Radio and TV complex, student hostels, and an internal road network.
“Professor Pate is a goal-getter and practically result-oriented. His ability to plan projects, secure their funding, and deliver them to specification is phenomenal,” the former governor said, adding that several new undergraduate and postgraduate programmes had also been introduced with full NUC accreditation.
In his goodwill message, Bauchi State Commissioner of Information and Communications, Usman Shehu, who represented Governor Bala Mohammed at the event, described Mr Pate as one of the governor’s most trusted advisers.
“Professor Pate is one of the governor’s reliable brains, advising from behind the scenes for the accomplishment of governance in Bauchi State,” Mr Shehu said. “His template of good leadership is indeed among the key engines for all the achievements being recorded today in Bauchi State.”
Mr Shehu called for more scholarly documentation of Professor Pate’s work. “We ask more students of literature to write more about him because stories around Professor Pate are endless.”
Responding to the honour, Mr Pate thanked the FUK management for the support extended to him during his tenure. He said he felt fulfilled having rendered his best in service to the institution.
He recalled that his administration established 17 new academic programmes, including a PhD in Mass Communication, an MSc in Mass Communication, a Postgraduate Diploma in Mass Communication, BSc programmes in Entrepreneurship Studies and International Relations, as well as medical programmes in MBBS Medicine and Surgery, Human Anatomy, Human Physiology, Pharmacology, Dental Surgery, Nursing Science, and Occupational Therapy.
The university, he said, now offers 56 undergraduate and 49 postgraduate programmes. He also oversaw the establishment of the Jibril Aminu College of Medical Sciences (JACOMS).
The book has 182 pages and 11 chapters. Reviewers described it as a thoughtful and well-researched contribution and a valuable resource for journalism students, scholars, administrators, and future leaders.
The key words in the book are visionary leadership, knowledge, transformation, and impactful change — elements that reflect the full arc of Professor Pate’s career in academia and public life.
Mr Pate was born on 4 January 1964 in Song, Adamawa State. He attended Nassarawo Jereng Primary School from 1971 to 1976 before proceeding to Government College, Maiduguri, where he finished as the overall best student in the GCE O-level examinations in the Arts sequence in 1981. He later studied at the College for Preliminary Studies in Yola and enrolled as a direct-entry student for a BA in Mass Communication at the University of Maiduguri in 1984, graduating in 1987.
He holds an MPhil in Communication Studies from the University of Ghana, Legon (1990) and a PhD in Media History from the University of Maiduguri (1997).
After a stint as head of department at the University of Maiduguri, he moved to Bayero University, Kano, where he first assumed the role of dean of the communication school. He transformed the programme and ensured it gained national recognition. He was later made the Dean of the postgraduate school at Bayero University, Kano.
Mr Pate also served as President of the Association of Communication Scholars and Practitioners of Nigeria (ACSPN) and is a senior councillor and ranking kingmaker in the Adamawa Emirate Council, where he is the Kaigamma (chief of army staff).
He has been a lifetime judge of the Wole Soyinka Investigative Journalism Prize and chairs the advisory board of the Centre for Journalism Innovation and Development (CJID).
Mr Pate also remains an editorial advisor to more than ten communication journals in and out of Nigeria and serves as an external examiner to over 15 universities in Nigeria and abroad. Some of the universities include those in Lagos, Ibadan, Nsukka, Covenant, Jos, Babcock, Makurdi, ABU, Awka, Abuja, Leicester (UK), Freetown (Sierra Leone), and Tehran (Iran).
He has served as a consultant to bilateral and multilateral agencies including United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), United Nations Fund for Population Activities (UNFPA), United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO), United States Agency for International Development (USAID), British Department of International Development (DFID), National Agency for the Control of AIDS (NACA), Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), Ford Foundation, Nigerian Universities Commission (NUC), Planned Parenthood Federation of America (PPFA), Nigeria Stability Response Project (NSRP), Friedrich Ebert Foundation of Germany, Panos Foundation of Washington, Trust Newspapers, INEC, NTA, FRCN, National Population Commission, National Broadcasting Commission, and several state governments. He has served the UN system in Afghanistan, Liberia, Sierra Leone, and Cameroon.
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