Interview with Dr. Rabiu Abdussalam Magaji

[Nuruddeen]

Dr. Rabiu AbduSSALAM Magaji is an academic and International scholar of high repute. He teaches at the Department of Human Physiology, Faculty of Medicine, Bayero University, Kano.  Dr. Rabiu was in Uganda for a diplomatic corps mission where he served at Kampala International University for two years (between 2006 and 2008). He is a ravenous scholar as he currently pursues a Masters degree in International Affairs and Diplomacy (MIAD) at Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria. He has published about 20 papers in both local and international journals among which are: Effects of Ethyl acetate portion of Syzygium aromaticum flower bud on indomethacin-induced gastric ulceration and gastric secretion; Advances in the pathophysiology and management of gastroesophageal reflux disease. He attended several local and International conferences and courses. In this interview with Jibo Nura, Rabiu talked on Human Physiology as a course of study (discipline) in our Nigerian Universities. Excerpts:

Sir, could you tell us about yourself?
I was born on 11th October, 1974 and I hail from Dala local government of Kano state. I attended Gwammaja special primary school between 1980 to 1986 and had my secondary school education at Government Secondary School Gaya and Science Secondary School Dawakin Tofa between 1986 to 1989 and 1990 to 1992 respectively. I then proceeded to Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria (ABU, Zaria) in 1993 where I obtained my first degree (1993-2000), Masters degree (2002-2006) and a Ph.D. (2006-2009) at the department of Human Physiology, Faculty of Medicine. I also hold a Postgraduate Diploma in Education (PGDE) from Bayero University, Kano (2005-2006). I presently pursue another Masters degree but this time around in International Affairs and Diplomacy (MIAD) in ABU Zaria. I hold membership of many academic societies like, Physiological Society of Nigeria (PSN); Neuroscience Society of Nigeria (NSN); West African Society for Pharmacology (WASP); Society for Neuroscientists of Africa (SONA); American Physiological Society (APS); International Brain Research Organization (IBRO) and International Society for Neurochemistry (ISN). My research interest areas include: Gatroenterology, Alternative medicine, Neurobehavior and Neuroscience (Brain science). I have attended two International IBRO Schools of Neuroscience: IBRO Advanced Behavioral Neuroscience School, Nairobi, Kenya, December, 2008 and First African Neuroscience School in Cameroon, Yaounde, August, 2009. These two schools earned me the prestigious status of IBRO alumnus that each and every neuroscientist yearns for. 

You were in Uganda for two years, what was your mission there?I was in Uganda as a volunteer under the auspices of Nigerian Technical Aid Corps (TAC) which is part of Nigerian foreign policy to help some countries known as ACP (African, Caribbean and Pacific) countries based on South-South cooperation. While in Uganda, I served as a lecturer at Faculty of Biomedical Sciences of Kampala International University.

How do you rate Ugandan University system with that of Nigeria in terms of teaching, research and international collaboration?

There is more stability in the Ugandan University system and also better international collaboration. However, teaching and research are better in Nigeria especially when I compare theirs with what I experienced in Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, though they have a better environment for  teaching and research but they lack manpower.

Throughout the pursuit of your academic career, have you encountered any problem?

There is no way to achieve success without encountering some hardships whether natural or man made in one way or another. I have really encountered many of them especially man made. However, such problems have taught me a lot of lessons that are helping  me and will continue to help me in my career and life in general.

As a product of Ahmadu Bello University (ABU), Zaria, what was your experience as an undergraduate and postgraduate student?My experiences as a student of Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria both as an undergraduate and postgraduate student were very pleasant, educative and historic. My participation in academic and political activities and moreso personal contacts with many students from diverse parts of Nigeria and the world have taught me many lessons that will remain very useful in my life. Everywhere I go, both in Nigeria and abroad, I find such lessons very useful as I stand out as a product of ABU Zaria.

How do you assess Human Physiology as a course of study in Nigerian Universities and what are the problem areas?
Human Physiology is field that studies the normal functions of Human body in order to differentiate such with the abnormal functions experienced during disease condition. It is therefore agreed by many scholars to be the bedrock of Medicine. It is one of the courses studied in many medical and biomedical sciences degrees as well as a bachelor's degree on its own. However, it has been experiencing many set backs as not many students pursue this discipline exclusively at the undergraduate and postgraduate levels. This can be seen in the enrolment of students into the course at both undergraduate and postgraduate levels and also in the number of those with higher degrees in the field especially in the Northern part of Nigeria. In fact, to my knowledge, I am the first to have a PhD in the field in the mainstream Northern Nigeria as of January, 2009.

What could you say about the students' enrolment in the course?     

Students' enrolment had not been encouraging due to lack of awareness about the course and also due to few numbers of Universities offering the course at a degree level. Moreover, many students prefer to study MBBS as opposed to the Human physiology exclusively as a biomedical science field. So, there should be mass awareness on the need to have more physiologists at both undergraduate and postgraduate levels to meet to the demands of many of our Nigerian Universities' medical faculties as well as enhancing medical researches that will uplift the medical training as well as improvement of the healthcare delivery in Nigeria, Africa and the World at large.

What do you think could be done to encourage students to study Human physiology in Nigerian Universities?
Mass awareness, empowering researches in the medical sciences by equipping physiology departments' laboratories in the Nigerian Universities and encouraging more medical faculties to undertake Human physiology as a course of study as well as recognizing the Human physiology as a very important discipline in Medical Sciences by giving it its rightful place.

Governments at various levels (State and local governments) and rich men and Women especially here in Northern Nigeria should wake up to their responsibilities of encouraging education as their counterparts in the southern part of the country do. They should also identify those that have made some educational achievements and motivate them accordingly. It is amazing to say here that up to now, I am yet to receive even commendation letter from either my local government or State government for being the first in my state and indeed the whole core north to have a PhD in my field. But if you go to the local government secretariats in Kano metropolitan, state ministries and the government house, you will see how our political office holders shower money on thugs popularly known as "yan jagaliya". It is really unfortunate. Another worrying example is that of Alhaji Aliko Dangote who happens to come from my local government, but I am not aware of any foundation under his care that gives scholarship to students even from his local government while Rochas Okorocha came from the East to Kano to empower education via his foundation.

   
You said you encountered obstacles during your study; were they academic, financial or personal problems?Well, the obstacles more or less are human problems. As a person that believes in openness and hardwork, I encountered many problems from some colleagues for ambition to reach to the top of my study by obtaining a PhD at early years of my life. As I told you, as of January, 2009, I was the only person to have the PhD in Human Physiology in the whole mainstream northern Nigeria consisting of about 17 states at the age of 34; you will be rest assured that a lot of jealous tendencies will be directed towards me. But, ALLAH the almighty HAS helped to overcome such obstacles through prayers by having very understanding supervisors that stood by me to the end of the battle to see to the achievement of the pursuit.


What could you say about those that taught you; any discriminations or sentiments from them?

During my undergraduate days, I encountered problems with some of my lecturers in terms of my behavior as a student unionist as well as someone that doesn't tolerate injustices and or speaks out. I was really not a docile student even though I respected my lecturers but those my qualities made me to be at crossroads with some of them. At the postgraduate level on the
Other hand, I encountered problems not with my supervisors but with some forces outside my supervisory team due to the fastness and rigorous pursuit of my postgraduate programmes especially that of the PhD that I got in less than 3 years. Such people had to feel bad because of the record they saw I was about to set. So, you see it was a problem of jealousy which I believe is a potential character of human beings. Therefore, those who have not been blessed by ALLAH to control theirs, tend to manifest the character in full force. However, at the end of the day, the achievements and the records were set by ALLAH's might. And, as an open person, I see such people as colleagues and have good mind towards them because they helped me to learn a lot of lessons in life as well as help to speed my achievements without them wanting as a popular Hausa saying that says "jealousy is a booster to the morales of a successful person".

What would you advice lecturers and students in order to improve their relationship?
Good and harmonious relationship(s) improve learning. Lecturers should see students as partners in progress. They should see them as their relatives, so that they can help them in terms of guidance and offering their kind hands in offering them the knowledge they have. They should also not exploit the students in their relationship with the students. They should also remember at all times that the students are a trust that has been given onto their hands by the Almighty and parents and they will be judged according to how they handle such trust. For, the students on the other hand, they should see the lecturers as those people with the wisdom to help better their lives by respecting the lecturers at all times and at all places either in or out of the school. The students should always remember that knowledge that has been acquired through and/or according to respect(s) to the possessors of the knowledge (lecturers) is more rewarding and blessed than otherwise.

Let us digress into the Nigeria situation. In what ways do you think Human Physiology could contribute to Nigerian development?Cuts in...

I mean in terms of health care delivery to the citizens.

Human physiology as a discipline that tends to improve health through research can help Nigeria in so many ways especially when properly harnessed. First, in terms of health care delivery, Human Physiology can help to achieve better understanding and breakthroughs in the quality of health care needs of Nigeria through research. It can also help in the evaluation and prediction of better health policies directed towards projecting Nigeria to a high level in Africa and the World at large. As they say "Health is Wealth", Human physiology can help Nigeria to achieve better health through systemic approach.


If you would not mind let us delve into matters of personal concern. Are you married?
Laughter! Yes, I am married to a wife since 2005 and blessed with a child aged 3 years.

It is my pleasure 

You are welcome dear.