
05/09/2025
UDUS Marks 50 Years of Women Development in Academia
©️ INTERWATCH
By Abdullahi Alatare
Usmanu Danfodiyo University, Sokoto (UDUS), on the 4th of September 2025 held a public lecture on women's role in academic development at the university's auditorium main campus, marking its 50th anniversary and 42nd convocation ceremony, with a focus on the role of women in academic development.
The lecture, titled “Breaking Barriers, Building Legacies: 50 Years of Women’s Development in Academia at Usmanu Danfodiyo University Sokoto,” was delivered by Professor (Mrs) Asabe Kabir Usman of the department of english and literary studies from the faculty of Arts.
In the opening remarks by Professor M.A. Iliya commended the resilience of female scholars in the university’s history, while the deputy vice chancellor (Administration), Professor M.M. Maishanu, conveyed goodwill messages before the lecture.
Professor Asabe Kabir is the second female professor to deliver an inaugural lecture in the history of UDUS and also the university’s 18th inaugural lecturer, highlighting the steady progress of women in academia.
She revealed that between 1975 and 2000, the university had only 20 female academic staff. From 2000 to 2010, the number rose to 36. Today in 2025 out of the school's 1,700 academic staff, 107 are female among which 24 are professors, 12 are readers and 26 are senior lecturers.
Going further she listed females in the field who have contributed greatly to research, teaching and leadership from 2001 till date amongst them includes Dr Kudirat Abiola the first female to become the universities librarian in 2024, Dr Ummu Safiya the first examination officer of the facility of law. Asiya Bagudo Abubakar Bagudo who became a professor in 2023 a former head of department and supporter of inclusive education in northern Nigeria, Professor Hafsatu Sidi who until last week was the sole administrator of Usman danfodio university model secondary school prof and Professor Aisha Bawa female vice chairman of academic staff union (ASSU) UDUS. These milestones demonstrate the gradual but significant strides women have made in shaping the university’s academic landscape.
She highlighted several challenges faced by women at the frontline. Among the most pressing, she noted the intense workload. In her words "most of us would leave here today and walk straight into the kitchen after taking our lectures we take care of the children we do everything and then if we don't do the work they say female members of staff are lazy”. She also spoke about the burden of family expectations, stressing that it is almost a taboo to admit that professional responsibilities sometimes limit family attention. Other challenges she outlined include the lack of mentorship despite management’s efforts, more improvement is needed, restricted mobility as many women can only attend conferences close to home due family duties, limited support from counterparts and also insufficient gender-sensitive structures.
Finally despite these obstacles, she emphasized that women continue to excel in science, education, humanities and public health. She concluded by commending the UDUS management for its commitment to promoting women’s inclusiveness.