By Dr Hassan Alhaji Ya’u, PhD.
Associate professor
Whenever I come across the horrific and horrible idea, Retire, I regret not the idea but the practice. My regret is influenced by the critical question of whether the idea of retirement in its conceptual and real senses is applicable to academics and specifically to Abdallah Uba Adamu, who spent exactly 46 years advancing the course of intellectualism, scholarship and research at national, continental and global scales. This prompted my conclusion that in significant cases, there is an apparent etymological fallacy in the conceptualization and application of the idea of retirement, especially in the academic environment.
Etymologically, the word retire in British grammatical structure refers to an intransitive VERB, which means to stop work on a full-time basis or is best known in the Nigerian context of labour relations and manpower management as the Permanent and Pensionable system, fundamentally due to old age or illness.
In American etymological analysis, however, Retire is a compound word consisting of a prefix Re and the root word tire alternatively spelt as Tyre. It connotes the act of fitting a vehicle with new tires (tyres) for greater or maximum efficiency. Thus, form a new word in American English structure; Retyre, which in British English, grammatical structure, which means Retire.
Otto Von Bismarck, the German Chancellor (1872-1890) was arguably the first official who introduced the idea of retirement in the structure of labour and workforce management in the late 1880s. This decision was influenced by Industrialization, Urbanization, capitalism, Social unrest, and the socialist movement which necessitated government intervention and the introduction of social insurance reforms in health, accident, and old age to maintain stability and secure elite power. This facilitated the development of the first state-run pension system.
My first formal contact with Professor Abdallah Uba Adamu was in June 2012 as a PhD. student and a staff member in the Department of Mass Communication, Bayero University, Kano. He was obliged to teach Advanced Communication Methods for the PhD. students then. Most students at that time perceived him as an intimidating scholar with horrible intellectual flair that eventually confused students. Hence, the popular maxim about him: the more you hear, the less you understand.
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Abdalla Adamu is an eminent scholar and researcher with a paradigmatic exemplar of intellectual polymathy, possessing a vast and labyrinthine expertise that spans multiple disciplines and traverses the boundaries of conventional academic siloes. His oeuvre is characterized by an unyielding commitment to interdisciplinary inquiry, with a particular emphasis on transnational media flows, cultural studies, etc.
With a career spanning several decades, he has cultivated an intimidatingly broad range of expertise, encompassing science education, media and cultural communication, Hausa language and culture, etc. His research has been marked by a consistent ability to distill complex phenomena into incisive, theoretically informed analyses, often with a profound impact on the field.
In the pantheon of Nigerian academia, Professor Abdalla Uba Adamu stands as a towering figure. His scholarly oeuvre and mentorship are leaving an indelible mark on the intellectual landscape at national and international levels. As a luminary in Science and Technical Education and Media and Cultural Communication, his contributions have not only enriched our understanding of Hausa culture and transnational media flows but also inspired a new generation of interdisciplinary scholars.
Professor Adamu’s groundbreaking research has elucidated the complex dynamics of Hausa popular culture, illuminating the intersections of literature, film, music, and performing arts within the context of national, regional, and global cultural exchange. His work on the impact of Bollywood and Nollywood on Hausa media, for instance, has been a seminal contribution to the field of media and cultural studies.
As a dual professor, his expertise, intellectual flair, and analytical prowess have spanned two distinct yet interconnected fields, demonstrating his intellectual versatility and breadth of critical knowledge in advancing scholarship endeavours.
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His leadership roles, including his tenure as Vice-Chancellor of the National Open University of Nigeria (2016-2021), have been characterized by vision, innovation, and an unwavering commitment to academic excellence.
Beyond his impressive academic credentials, Professor Adamu is a revered mentor known for his generosity, simplicity, and compassion with ideas, guidance, and support. His influence extends far beyond his students, shaping the intellectual trajectory of countless scholars and researchers.
As one of his PhD. Supervisees in 2012, I have experienced from him the real meaning and application of mentorship as well as the nature and structure of the mentor-mentee relationship.
He strategically shifted and refocused my research interest and approach to cultural communication, which is grounded in Qualitative research methods as key cornerstones of scholarly inquiry, that offer a nuanced and contextual understanding of complex phenomena. These methods prioritize depth over breadth, seeking to uncover rich, detailed insights into human experiences, meanings, and social processes.
These efforts were initially criticized in the Department of Mass Communication as not being a core media and communication-centred area of research and for substantially deviating from the traditional media and communication research. The initiative was equally seen as a fundamental paradigm shift which is more aligned with literature, sociolinguistics or sociological studies.
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He remained relentless in providing academic resources, ideas, and connections to me throughout the supervision period. He has equally provided the desired motivation, enthusiasm, and encouragement to support the progress of the process. He linked me directly with the two most authoritative scholars working in the area of cultural communication: Professor Silvie Bringas and Professor Katherine Shutze. These scholars have made tremendous contributions to the substance of my initial conceptual framework. This was an intellectual eye-opener for my subsequent academic journey and development.
Professor Abdalla remained available, accessible, approachable and supportive of my entire needs throughout the supervision era, thus the process culminated within the shortest period ever in the history of the department (to his acknowledgement).
His recent contributions to the development of the Hausa language and culture, including the development of ‘hooked’ Hausa language character font sets (ɓ Ɓ ɗ Ɗ ƙ Ƙ), are a testament to his commitment to linguistic and cultural preservation.
Based on the two etymological analyses as enshrined in the British and American structure of the word retire and retyre as discussed earlier in this submission, I strongly contest and reject the British etymological analysis due to the etymological fallacy inherent in the application of the idea, especially to academics and specifically to Abdallah Uba Adamu. Alternatively, I align my thoughts with the American etymological analysis and argue that Abdalla’s exit is neither on the basis of incapacitation because of old age nor due to any apparent physical, social or mental health abnormalities. The exit is rather a consequence of a structured colonial bureaucratic principle, which is pragmatically dysfunctional and idealistic, thus requiring a strategic, practical, realistic, and functional review.
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