Meet Amina Bashir, Yobe’s First Female Professor

Professor Amina Abubakar Bashir was born on June 8, 1960 in Potiskum, but grew up in Maiduguri, Borno State capital.  She hails from Daya, in Fika Local Government Area of Yobe State. Her father, a pharmacist, is the first Fellow of the Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria from Yobe State. He is the Madaki of Fika Emirate Council, second in the hierarchy of the emirate.

Amina obtained her first degree in English Language from Ahmadu Bello University (ABU), Zaria in 1982, her MEd in Curriculum Studies from University of Maiduguri (UniMaid) in 1986 , and her PhD in English Language from ABU, Zaria in 1996. She started her lecturing career with the UniMaid in 1982 where she rose to professor of Sociolinguistics in 2009.

She is the first female professor from Yobe State, and currently with the Federal University, Dutse.

Academic Qualifications:  PhD English Language (Sociolinguistics)  ABU, Zaria: 1997; M.Ed. Curriculum Studies:   UniMaid, Maiduguri, 1986; B. A. English Language (Graduate Certificate in Education): ABU, 1981; Secondary School Certificate from Government Girls Secondary School, Maiduguri, 1977; Primary School Certificate from Damboa Primary School, Potiskum, 1972; and Certificate Course in Computer Appreciation, 1999.

Work Experience:  Professor of English Language (Sociolinguistics), UniMaid, 2009; Reader, UniMaid, 2004; Senior Lecturer, UniMaid, 2000 ; Visiting Professor, Jigawa State University, Kafin Hausa, 2016-2018; Visiting Professor, Police Academy Wudil, Kano State, 2015- 2016; Visiting Professor, Usmanu Danfodio University Sokoto, 2014 – 2016; Visiting Professor, Yobe State University, Damaturu , 2013 to date; Sabbatical at the Bayero University, Kano, 2009-2010; Sabbatical at the Federal University of Technology, Yola, 2002-2003; Lecturer I, UniMaid, 1996; Lecturer II, UniMaid, 1992; Assistant Lecturer, UniMaid, 1986; and Graduate Assistant, UniMaid, 1982. Amina did her  one year National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) in 1981.

Membership Affiliations: Amina is a member of Nigerian Academy of Letters, 2017; Literary Society of Nigeria, 2016; English Scholars of Nigeria, 2015; Federal University Women Association (President), 2015 till date; Linguistic Association of Nigeria; and Charity and Vulnerable Support Initiative-CVSI (Patron)

She has also served as a member of these panels: Keynote Speaker, NOUNESAN Conference, Language, Literature, National Integration and Sustainable Development, Abuja, 2019; Chairperson, FUD Scrabble Association , 2019 to date; Jigawa State Scrabble Association, 2019 to date; Chairperson, TETFund intervention Committee, Federal University Dutse, 2019; Committee of Deans of Postgraduate School of Nigerian Universities 2019; Scholarship and Fellowship Plan Award Selection Panel, Federal Scholarship Board, Abuja , 2018 and 2019; Search Team, FUD 2015; Patron, Yobe State Students Association, 2014 to date; Interview Panelist, Federal Government Commonwealth  Scholarship and Fellowship Plan Award Selection Panel: Federal Scholarship Board, Abuja, 1999-2004; Committee on Draft Report on UBE, 2002; JAMB Item Writer, 1999-2003; and Presidential Visitation Panel to Nigerian Federal Universities, FUT, Yola, 1999.

Administrative Positions:

In 2019, Amina was the External Examiner of Bauchi State University, Gadau, and the University of Jos. From 2018 till date, that is what she is doing for the Federal University, Gusau; Bauchi State University, Gadau; Dean, School of Postgraduate Studies, Federal University Dutse; External Examminer, Federal University, Lafia, Nasarawa State, 2018; External Examiner, Umaru Musa Yaradua University, Katsina, 2014-date; and Director, Centre for Gender Studies, Federal University Dutse , 2014-date

That is not all. She was the Dean, Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, Federal University Dutse, 2015-2018; Head, English Department, Federal University Dutse, 2013-2016; External Examiner, Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, 2013-2015; Head, Department of English, UniMaid, 2012-2013; Faculty of Arts Representative, Postgraduate Board, 2000-2013; Hall Mistress, Aisha Hall, UniMaid, 2002-2013; Departmental Postgraduate Coordinator, 2002-2013; Coordinator, Remedial Arts, UniMaid, 2004-2010; Coached and Led University of Maiduguri Team for Zain Africa Challenge in Uganda, 2009; and Alternate Examiner, Department of Languages and Linguistics, UniMaid, 2002-2004

According to this first Yobe female professor, ‘’I have undertaken some national assignments as a member of NUC Accreditation Panel to Federal University Kashere, Gombe, University of Calabar, and University of Uyo  in 2019.  In the same year, I was a member of TETFund Advisory Group, Chairperson, Academic Board on TETFund Intervention, and Technical Advisory Group, TETFund.’’

Continuing, she says, ‘’I served as a member of NUC Accreditation Panel to Federal University Birnin Kebbi, in 2018; NUC Accreditation Panel to Chukwuemeka Odumegu Ojukwu University, Uli, 2017; NUC Accreditation Team to Bowen University Iwo, 2016; NUC Accreditation Team to Lagos State University, 2016; NUC Accreditation Team to Bingham University, Karu, 2015

‘’NUC Accreditation Team to Umaru Musa Yaradua University Katsina, 2015; NUC Accreditation Team Chair to Bauchi State University, Gadau, 2014; NUC Accreditation Team to Taraba State University, Jalingo, 2013; NUC Accreditation Team to University of Abuja, 2013; NUC Accreditation Team Member to IBB University, Lapai, Niger State, 2012; Ministerial Team on the Selection of WAEC & NECO Item Test Selection, 2010; NUC Accreditation Team to Federal College of Education, Uyo,  2009; and Presidential Visitation Panel to Modibbo Adama University, Yola, 1999.’’

The Communicative Approach and Remedial English Teaching by the British Council, Kano, 1987; Innovative Education at the Cambridge International Extension College, Cambridge, UK, 1997; A Course on Population Family Life Education, Maiduguri, 2000; and Training Course on Conflict Resolution, Abuja, 2004

Notable Publications:

Amali,   Halima, Zainab Chiroma & Amaina Bashir. Idoma Proverbial Names as a vehicle of Expression. Proverbium. 54-74, 36:2019

Amina Abubakar Bashir How long in North Eastern States of Nigeria: An Appraisal of appointments of Females into Key Positions for sustainable Development Journal of Gender Studies, FUTO, 2016

Amina A. Bashir and Chika Ozim  The Phonological Alterations of Individual Graphemes in Received Pronunciation (RP) in English: the interplay of Segmental and Prosodic Elements.  Dutse International Journal of Humanities and Social Sciences Vol 1. 2014.

Bashir,  Amina & Halima Amali. Women Against Women: The Sociolinguistics of Hausa Proverbs. Proverbium 13-23, 2012

Bashir. A   and Halima O. Amali, Women Against Women: The Sociolinguistics of Hausa Proverbs,  Proverbium. University of Vermont, USA Vol. 29,  13-24. 2012

Amina A. Bashir ‘Language Use in Maiduguri Metropolis: A Shift Towards Hausa’, Festschrift in Honour of Professor Adekunle Adeniran, Spectrum Publishers, Ibadan: 2009

Others include, Amina A. Bashir and Uzoaku E. A. ‘Achieving Correct English Usage through Performance Errors, Noticing the Gap’, Unimaid Journal of Women Studies, Vol. 2: 2009; Amina A. Bashir and Aisha Iya Ahmed ‘Dialogues in Primary School English Textbooks’ LIWURAM, Vol. 15: 2008; Amina A. Bashir and Halima O. Amali ‘Man Made Words That Marginalize Women’, Humanities and Development: Perspectives in Arts, Language and the Media, Faculty of Arts Seminar Series, No. 4: 2008; and Amina A. Bashir and Halima O. Amali ‘Image of Women in Idoma Proverbs: A Sociolinguistic View, Faculty of Arts National Conference: 2008

To her credit also are, Amina A. Bashir and Aisha Iya Ahmed ‘Pronomials in Fulfulde Noun phrase’ Humanities and Development: Perspectives in Arts, Language and the Media, Faculty of Arts Series, No. 4: 2008; Amina A. Bashir The Sociolinguistic Situation in Maiduguri, Faculty of Arts Occasional PublicationNo. 44:  2008; Amina A. Bashir and Chris OkeyNwaiwu. Teaching of Listening Skill, Reading in English Language, Teaching and Learning, Kano: 2008; Amina A. Bashir ‘The Sociolinguistic Use of Names in Tenure Ojaide’s Poems’ A Rainbow Beyond its Colours: Essays in Honour of Shamsudeen O. O. Amali, Vol. 12, Ibadan, Kraft Books Ltd. 2008; Amina A. Bashir and Alexander Uzoaku Esimaje, ‘A Semantic Investigation of Gender and Communication’ Unimaid Journal of Women Studies, Vol. 1: 2008; Amina A. Bashir ‘Punctuation’ An Encyclopedia of the Arts,  Faculty of Arts, Lagos State University, Vol. 4 (4):2006; and Amina A. Bashir and Abubakar Othman, ‘Language Choice and Use in Maiduguri’,

On the lengthy list are equally, Language Education and Society, Festschrift in Honour of C. M. B. Brann,  FAOB No. 6: 2006Amina A. Bashir ‘Language, Gender and the Nigerian Society: Anti-Female Sentiments in Nigerian Novels’, Maiduguri Journal of  Linguistic and Literary Studies, Vol. VI: 2004Amina A. Bashir ‘On the Standardization of Nigerian Pidgin’ Journal of Language, Culture and Communication, Vol.1, No. 2: 2004;

Amina A. Bashir and Terper, A. A. ‘Chinua Achebe’s use of the English  Language in Arrow of God’ Maiduguri Journal of Linguistic and Literary Studies, Vol. VI: 2004; Amina A. Bashir  Practical English Usage: Yola, Paraclete Publishers: 2004; Aisha Iya Ahmed and Amina A. Bashir ‘Binding Case Theories at Interface in Adamawa lv Fulfulde’, Maiduguri Journal of Linguistic and Literary Studies, Vol. V: 2003; Amina A. Bashir and James Anthony, The Military Jargon, Yola, Paraclete Publishers; Amina A. Bashir, ‘The Vision of Islam in Zaynab Alkali’s  ‘The Still Born and the Virtuous Woman’ Journal of Language, Culture and Communication (JLCC) Vol. 1 No. 2: 2002; Amina A. Bashir and Abubakar Othman, ‘Language Choice and Use in Maiduguri’, Language Education and Society, Festschrift in Honour of C. M. B. Brann,  FAOB No. 6: 200

Aishatu Iya Ahmed and Amina Bashir, ‘Case Assignment in Adamawa Fulfulde Indirect Object Constructions’ The Humanities and Human Resource Development, No. 16: 1999; and Amina A. Bashir ‘A Review of Salient Issues on Language, Society and Gender’ The Humanities and Human Resources Development, No. 16: 1999

Health Literacy as Key to Developing Health Related Welfare in Jigawa State 2016; an examination of Socio-economic Background, Communicative Ability and Participation of Jigawa State Legislators in House of Assembly, 2014; and a survey of the Economic Activities of Female Entrepreneurs in Jigawa State, 2017

Amina is the Chief Editor, Dutse Journal of Arts and Humanities, 2017 till date; Editor, Yobe State University Journal of Humanities, 2016 to date; Editorial Member, Kafin Hausa Journal of Humanities, 2016 to date; Editor, Journal of General Studies, Federal University Dutse, 2016 to date; Editor, Festschrift in Honour of Professor Aliyu Mohammed, 2002; Editor:   Department of English Seminar Series, University of Maiduguri, 1999-2012; Chief Editor, UniMaid Journal of Women’ Studies, 1998

Postgraduate Supervision (completed):

Some of the works completed by her are, Nominal Groups and Ideologies in Daily Trust and Nigerian Tribune: A Critical Discourse Analysis of Reports on O’Odua People’s Congress (OPC) and Boko Haram by Mika’Ilu Ibrahim.,  Usmanu Danfodio University, Sokoto,  PhD 2017; A Pragmatic study of Newspaper cartoons by Shamsuddeen I.  (M.A) 2015; A Stylistic Study of Inaugural Presidential Speeches by HauwaGiwa- Ali  2016(PhD) University of Maiduguri, 2015. A Stylistic Analysis of Ralph Opara’s ‘Lagos Interlude’ by Daniel Yebshik Auta, (M. A.) 2012; A Lexical Study of Selected Sermons of Pastor Chris Oyakhilome by Alexandra Uzoaka Esimaje,. University of Maiduguri, (Ph.D) 2012; and The Influence of Reading on Students’ Performance in Vocabulary and Comprehension: A Case Study of Selected Secondary Schools in Kano by Asuquo Susan Effiong, (M. A.). 2011

While Prof. Amina Abubakar Bashir has participated and presented papers in learned conferences, academic workshops, and symposiums, she is also a recipient of Award of Icon of Educational Development by the Nigerian Youth Development Foundation, 2019. She has visited a number of countries among them, United States  of America, United Kingdom, Indonesia, Malaysia, Lebanon, Turkey, Cyprus, Egypt, United Arab Emirate, Ethiopia, Pakistan, Germany, Saudi Arabia and Niger Republic

 Amina whose hobbies include travelling, walk and work-out, playing scrabble, and building friendships is married with children.

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