BRIEF ON FACULTY OF ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
INTRODUCTION
The Faculty of Environmental Sciences, Nigerian Army University Biu is the bedrock for sustainable development to the University and the Nation in general and also in line with the vision of the founders of the University to have a Green University. As concerns about the changing environment as well as the need for life – long skills and self – reliant courses are being expected to be the core courses offered in the Faculty given that the Military is also concern with changes in the environment. The Faculty was established in 2018 with Prof. H. O. Aboh as its first overseeing Dean. The Faculty commenced operations in the 2018/2019 Academic Session. Subsequently, Prof. Bukar Abdullahi was tasked to oversee the faculty when Prof. Aboh left and served as Dean between March 2020 to December 2021. Dr. Daniel W. Mshelia then assumed the Deanship role on acting capacity from December 2020 to March 2021. The current substantive Dean, Brigadier General Ali Williams Butu was appointed in March, 2021.
PHILOSOPHY AND OBJECTIVES OF THE FACULTY
The Faculty has five Departments that are closely related and collectively focused on the science of understanding, ordering, managing and monitoring the natural, human and built environments. However, within this broad structure each department is specialized in one major area of the science of the environment (Natural, human or built) in order to provide detailed theoretical and practical spatial/temporal perspectives that would help achieve a harmonious and sustainable development.
The basic thrust of the Faculty is to develop an integrated network of teaching and research framework that would produce well trained and competent graduates that will be capable of directing and managing complex processes of development and change in the natural, human and built environment. Thus, the understanding, design, implementation and monitoring of land cover, land uses, plans and policies, design and execution of building projects are given special consideration and topmost priority in the Faculty. Each department is moderately equipped to handle area of its specializing with efforts being directed at achieving the overall objectives of the University towards knowledge, creativity and innovation for National development in the twenty – first century.
PROFILE OF THE DEAN FACULTY OF ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
Brig Gen AW BUTU (DSS, mANG, mEMAN, mASCT, mTRCN, Ph.D)
Brigadier General Ali William Butu hails from Takum Local Government Area, Taraba State. He was commissioned into Nigerian Army Education Corps as a Lieutenant in June 1992. He is an Associate Professor of Geography, a serving General and the current Dean of the Faculty of Environmental Sciences Nigerian Army University Biu, Borno State. He has formally served:
- Instructor (Teacher)/SOIII Nigerian Military School Zaria.
- Supervising Education Officer (SEO).
- Staff Officer Graded II (SOII) Training HQ NAEC Yaba – Lagos.
- Military Assistant to Commandant NAEC
- Brigade Education Officer (BEO) 9 Brigade Ikeja Lagos.
- Commandant Command Day Secondary School Abuja.
- Commandant Command Secondary School Kaduna.
- Assistant Director Education at Army Headquarter DATOPS Abuja.
- Senior Lecturer/Associate Professor; Nigerian Defence Academy
- Registrar, Nigerian Army College of Environmental Sciences Makurdi
Brig Gen AW Butu earned his Ph.D. in 2011 from Ahmadu Bello University of Zaria (ABU). He was a lecturer in Department of Geography Nigerian Defence Academy Kaduna where he rose to the rank of Associate Professor in 2017. On deployment to Nigerian Army University Biu, he was appointed the Head of Department of Geography, and the Dean Students’ Affairs Division. Brig Gen AW Butu is an astute academic and an outstanding senior military officer who had a career progression that saw him rise through the ranks in both his military and academic career pursuits.
Brigadier General Ali Williams Butu has supervised and graduated 5 Ph.D, 25 M.Sc, 15 B.Sc and several Postgraduate Diploma students as a major supervisor. He also served as external examiner (assessor) in several universities where he has assessed over 252 students at MSc and PhD levels. Brigadier General Butu has attended and presented over 24 research papers in conferences both at the national and international levels. He has also presented 45 papers in several seminars, workshops and training programmes across the nation, he also has over 66 publications in high impact Journals and 5 chapters in edited books to his credit.
Brig Gen Butu is a consultant to Ministry of Niger Delta Affairs where he has done several Environmental Impact Assessments for many projects (EIA). He is also a Consultant to Federal Ministry of Environment and has chaired several Panel Review for Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) Reports in various states across Nigeria. Brig Gen AW Butu is a member of several professional bodies which includes Association of Nigerian Geographers, Teachers Registration Council of Nigeria, Environmental Management Association of Nigeria, African Society of Chemical Toxicology and member of the Nigerian Association of Hydrological Sciences.
STAFF STRENGTH OF THE FACULTY
The Faculty has a total staff strength of 20 Academic staff, 2 Laboratory Technologists as well as 9 Non-Teaching Staff at the moment and 224 Students in the various Departments as at 2019/2020 Academic session.
DEPARTMENTS
The Faculty of Environmental Sciences commenced operations with 4 Academic Departments in the 2018/2019 Academic session. The Departments are; Department of Building, Department of Environmental Management, Department of Estate Management and Department of Surveying and Geoinformatics. The Department of Urban and Regional Planning was later introduced in the 2019/2020 Academic session
HEAD OF DEPARTMENTS
The various departments are headed by competent Academics as follows
- Department of Building – Dr. Aminu G. Waziri
- Department of Environmental Management – Dr. Nchedo Nnedi Ubachukwu
- Department of Estate Management – Dr. Ayuba M. Musa
- Department of Surveying and Geoinformatics – Mr. Jackson I.Matapa
- Department of Urban and Regional Planning – Mr. Solomon M. Soji