Faculty of Computing – Federal University Dutse (2024)

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Ahmed Baita Garko, the first Professor of Computer Science from Kano State, Nigeria, has 23 years experience in the Industry and Academia. Born in Garko town of Garko Local Government Area, Kano State on 2nd January, 1973; he attended Garko Central Primary School from 1980 to 1986, Government Senior Secondary Grammar School Garko from 1987 to 1989, and Science Secondary School Dawakin Tofa from 1990 to 1992 for his basic and secondary school education. He also attended Usmanu Danfodiyo University, Sokoto from 1993 to 1998, where he obtained a Bachelor of Science degree in Computer Science in 1998 with a Second Class Upper Division. Later in 2008, he obtained a Master of Science degree in Computer Science from Bayero University, Kano as the Best M.Sc. Computer Science student with a CGPA of 4.88 out of 5.00. Prof Garko obtained a Ph.D. degree in Computer Science from the Modibbo Adama University of Technology, Yola within 3 years from 2010 to 2012.

Professor Garko worked with the defunct Nigerian Telecommunications Limited (Nitel) from 2001 to 2005 in the Information Technology Department where he served as a System Analyst/Programmer, and he was the pioneer Mediation Manager of the Company who was in charge of meter readings and call detail records of all the Nitel switches nationwide for the retail and interconnect billings. In April, 2005 he voluntarily resigned from the services of Nitel and joined the Academia as a Graduate Assistant with the Kano University of Science & Technology (KUST), Wudil. At KUST, he held many responsibilities, prominent among which are: Level coordinator, Departmental Examinations Officer, Deputy Faculty Examinations Officer, Faculty Examinations Officer, Head of Unit, Head of Computer Science Department, Pioneer Deputy Dean, Faculty of Computing and Mathematical Sciences, Deputy Director, Management Information Systems (MIS), Member, University Governing Council representing the Congregation, Chairman, Taskforce Committee on Water, Electricity and Diesel Purchasing. He was also chairman and member to more than 20 different university committees at the Kano University of Science & Technology, Wudil.

In March, 2013, Professor Garko joined the services of the Federal University Dutse (FUD) as a Senior Lecturer in the Department of Computer Science. At FUD, he was appointed the pioneer Head of Computer Science Department. Notable among his achievements as the Head of Department were: Establishing the Department itself, boosted its staffing from two (2) to more than fifty (50) academic staff making it a department with the highest number of academic staff in the University then; establishing and equipping of three computer laboratories, three classrooms, securing of many offices for staff, procurement of the hardware laboratory equipment, and securing from the University additional block (extension) for the Department which houses HOD’s office, Conference room, three additional classes for postgraduate students, two professorial offices, and five additional offices for staff, all within 3 years as Head of Department. The block now houses the Deanery and two HOD offices. The Department has since been upgraded to a full Faculty of Computing, housing three additional departments (Cyber-security, Software Engineering, and Information Technology).

Professor Garko was the pioneer Editor-in-chief of the Dutse Journal of Pure and Applied Sciences (DUJOPAS), a publication of the Faculty of Science; he steered the activities of the Journal from its inception in 2015 to December, 2017. Under his leadership, the Journal has gain wider recognition and acceptance from many parts of the country. In its December, 2017 edition, the Journal received more than 60 articles from different universities and higher institutions across the country, and more than 50 articles were accepted and published. The Journal now is published four times in a year, and is one of the best journals now in the northern part of the country as it recently was indexed by the African Journals Online (AJOL) making it the first journal in FUD to attain that level.

His other responsibilities at the Federal University Dutse include: Pioneer Director, University Computer Centre; after merging the Computer Centre with the MIS, he was in April, 2016 appointed as the pioneer Director, Information and Communication Technology of the University. His main achievements there were: Development of a comprehensive ICT policy for the University, established the structures and units in the Directorate, established and registered the two CBT centers for UTME and General Studies Examinations in the Directorate, development and management of the University Portal In-house, designed, developed, and managed the University website In-house, and improved/built the capacity of the ICT staff in the University. Also at FUD, Prof Garko has served or is serving in more than 40 committees from 2013 to date. He is currently, a member of the University Governing Council representing the Congregation.

Furthermore, Prof Garko has supervised more than 150 undergraduate projects, more than 30 M.Sc. Computer Science and Information Technology students’ dissertations. He externally examined more than 150 M.Sc. and 13 Ph.D. Computer Science dissertations/theses at North-west University, South Africa, Nigerian Defense Academy (NDA), Kaduna, Nile University of Nigeria, Abuja, Federal University of Technology Minna, Modibbo Adama University, Yola, Federal University of Kashere, Baze University, Abuja, Federal University of Agriculture, Makurdi, Bayero University, Kano, Usmanu Danfodiyo University, Sokoto, Kebbi State University of Science & Technology, Aliero, and Umaru Musa Yar’adua University, Katsina. Professor Garko is a visiting Professor to Yusuf Maitama Sule University, Kano, and Sule Lamido University, Kafin-Hausa. He also served as external assessor to 11 academic staff from different universities for their promotions to Reader/Professor of Computer Science. He is also an external examiner to many universities and polytechnics in Nigeria for their undergraduate programmes in Computer Science. Currently, he serves as the JAMB Chief Technical Advisor for Jigawa State. Prof Garko has participated in many NUC Accreditation teams to some prominent Universities like: Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, University of Ilorin, University of Abuja, Federal University of Technology, Akure, Babco*ck University, Ilesa-Remo, Olabisi Onabanjo University, Agwo-Iwoye, Hallmark University, University of Agriculture, Abeokuta, and Sokoto State University, Sokoto. He has published more than 60 academic articles in reputable national and international journals, proceedings, books and book chapters. His area of research interest is Artificial Intelligence with specialty in Agent Technology, Machine Learning, Software Engineering and Human-computer Interaction. He is also, a member of three academic associations: Nigeria Computer Society (NCS), Computer Professionals Registration Council of Nigeria (CPN), and International Association of Engineers and Computer Scientists (IAENG).

Professor Ahmed Baita Garko is happily married with five children (4 Boys and 1 Girl).