PROF. MOHAMMED KUTA YAHAYA

Dr Mohammed Kuta Yahaya attended Kuchi Primary School between 1970 and 1975 and was one of the pioneers at Government Teachers College, Wushishi between 1975 and 1980. He was also one of the Pioneer members of Agric Science Department of the Niger State College of Education Minna between 1981 and 1984.

Prof. Mohammed Kuta Yahaya graduated from the University of Calabar, Calabar, Nigeria and proceeded to the nation’s premier University, the University of Ibadan and obtained his Masters and Doctoral Degrees in Agricultural Extension in 1992 and 1995 respectively.

He started his university teaching and research career at the University of Ibadan as an Assistant Lecturer in 1995 and rose through the ranks to become a Professor of Agricultural Extension with specialisation in Development Communication at the University of Ibadan, Nigeria in 2008 where he has championed scholarship in Development Communication and Social Engineering focusing on the use of key variables that enhance effective communication among stakeholders to positively affect the critical areas of development in society, including especially an understanding of social change processes using innovative approaches in order to bring about real development in the society. He has received numerous awards in the course of his teaching and professional engagements.

Professor Yahaya has also had the honour of putting development communication theories into practice while serving as the Director, University of Ibadan Media Centre, during which time he championed the establishment of campus radio in the Nigerian University system which was commissioned in October 2008. He later chaired the committee for the establishment of of a University Television in 2017. He was beckoned to serve his home state in various capacities, first as Secretary to the State Government (SSG) between 2007 - 2011 and later as Chief of Staff (2011-2013)and Commissioner in the Ministries of Information and Communication; Agriculture and Rural Development and later with concurrent responsibility for Tertiary Education (2013 to 2015).

He was the Editor, Nigeria Journal of Agricultural Extension 2001-2006;member, University Mission Research (UMR) Project, University of Ibadan, May2005 - August 2008; member, University of Ibadan Advancement Centre 2014 to date; member several Senate /Council Committees and was a visiting professor at the National Universities Commission between January 2023 to December 2023 with impactful contributions to curriculum development, programmes standardization and regulatory mandates. He is an examiner to several institutions and Human Resources development consultant for many corporate and public spirited organisations.
Prof Yahaya is a member of the international Labour Organisation (ILO) team on Accelerating action for the elimination of child labour in supply chains in Africa’ (ACCEL Africa). In Nigeria, ACCEL aims at the elimination of child labour in supply chains in particular in the Cocoa and Artisanal Small-Scale Gold Mining sectors of Ondo and Niger States respectively.

He has the privilege of public scholarship engagement in Niger State where he facilitated the strategic development agenda of the State through various initiatives, plans and strategies during his period of service evident in the development of Niger State Development Action Plan (DAP)[2007]; chaired the development of Niger State input into the National document on Vision 20: 2020 and the articulation, development, branding and production of the Niger State Vision 3:2020 document and popularization of literary activities in the State that evolved into the establishment of Niger State Book and other Resources Development Agency. He also facilitated the bringing of modern political systems closer to the pristine ideal of popular participatory process with full considerations of power distribution across economic, cultural and socio-political spheres. This was to encourage not only the participation of the people in their own governance and development objectives, but to also impel the true spirit of devotion to the people in proper reflection of service delivery.