By Ben Adam Shemang
You remember that peaceful religious cleric, Sultan Muhammadu Maccido, then Sultan of Sokoto who died in an ADC Airline crash on October 29, 2006? He has since been immortalized by the University of Abuja, where he was Chancellor before his passage to the great beyond.
He had come to Abuja where he held a meeting with then President Olusegun Obasanjo and it was on his flight back to Sokoto that the air mishap happened at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport. On board were 105 passengers and crew and of this numbers, 9 persons survived but sustained wounds and 96 died.
Sokoto lost illustrious sons and daughters. Sultan Maccido, his son, Senator Badamasi Maccido, a former Deputy Governor, of Sokoto State, Garba Mohamed and a son of former President Shehu Shagari, Abdulrahman Shehu Shagari died in that fatal accident.
God and fate: all three daughters of former Governor of Kogi State, Ibrahim Idris survived!
All of these happened when Sultan Muhammadu Maccido was the Chancellor of the University of Abuja. And to immortalise the sage, a centre of excellence, The Sultan Maccido Institute for Peace, Leadership and Development was established in 2007.
The current Director of the Institute is Prof Mutiullah Olasupo, an author of many books and journals. Prof Olasupo is a Specialist in Public Policy Analysis, Security Studies, Comparative Politics, Peace and Conflict Resolution. He has a mastery of Organizational Leadership, Globalization, Governance, Development Administration, Environmental Policy and Islamic Political Economy.
The director of the institute also has a capable hand in Dr Celestine Odogwu who is the Course Coordinator; call him the engine room and life wire of the Institute, which has other vibrant professors and top brass of security agencies who lecturer at the institute.
COURSES RUN BY THE INSTITUTE
A. Postgraduate Diploma Programmes:
– Peace and Security Studies
– Leadership and Discipline
– Society and Development Studies
– Criminology and Security Studies,
– Emergency and Disaster Management Studies
B. Master Degree Programmes:
– Peace and Security Studies
– Leadership and Discipline
– Society and Development Studies
– Criminology and Security Studies
– Emergency and Disaster management Studies
C. The Institute is commencing PhD Programmes this year in the following fields:
– Peace and Security
– Leadership and Discipline
– Society and Development
– Criminology and Security Studies
– Emergency and Disaster Management Studies
– and others
CALL FOR ENTRIES
The institute is already selling forms for would-be students and researchers in these fields of endeavours. Once qualified, right from secondary school leavers, workers in security organizations, civilians and people working in private firms get admitted at the institute.
A BETTER FUTURE FOR THE INSTITUTE
This institute needs the support of not just government, individuals, friends, relations of the late Sultan can support the institute via foundations. They can sponsor researchers in different fields. With the current challenges Nigeria is facing, scholarship could be awarded to researchers who will turn out to be either problem solvers or the proffer workable solution especially in the violent crimes and disasters confronting the country. The course contents says it all.
The institute actually provides training in the contemporary security challenges facing the country. No wonder, the institute has students and researchers coming from the security agencies.
So, for the 19th Sultan of Sokoto yes, he is gone, but the Sultan Muhammadu Maccido Institute for Peace, Leadership and Development Studies remains indelible, a cenre of academic excellence for Nigerian and foreign studies.
Shemang is former Director of News, Voice Nigeria (VON) and currently works with the Africa Service of Deutsche Welle.
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