An accomplished Media Practitioner, Teacher & University Administrator, Professor Umaru Pate holds an impressive array of academic and professional qualifications, which include:
Bachelor of Arts in Mass Communication, Master of Philosophy in Communication Studies, and a Doctorate in Media Studies.
At the age of 24, the Song, Adamawa State-born Communication Expert commenced his full-time professional experience in 1988 as a Graduate Assistant at the University of Maiduguri, where he had undertaken the National Youth Service. With a combination of outstanding performances in his schedules and pursuit of higher studies, he attained the rank of a full Professor in 2007.
Thereafter, he was at Bayero University, Kano variously as Founding Dean, Faculty of Communication, Dean, School of Postgraduate Studies and University Orator.
A past Vice-Chairman of the Tertiary Education Trust Fund [TETFUND] Advisory Group, Professor Umaru Pate also served as Director for Africa, in the prestigious International Network of UNESCO Professors in Communication. His past and current Consultancies include UN Development Programme, UN Fund for Population Activities, UN Food & Agriculture Organization, US Agency for International Development, UK Department of International Development, Ford Foundation, Planned Parenthood Federation of America, Friedrich Ebert Foundation of Germany as well as a number of public and private corporate bodies in Nigeria.
Professor Umaru Pate is a regular feature on academic and media circuits locally and internationally – variously as Assessor, Supervisor, External Examiner, Author, Columnist & Editorial Adviser. Among his professional affiliations are: incumbent National President, Association of Communication Scholars & Professionals of Nigeria, Nigerian Union of Journalists, and Nigerian Institute of Public Relations.
Right from his secondary school days, he has been earning and receiving awards & recognitions for excellent performance in his studies and schedules. These have come from, among others, University of Maiduguri, BBC World Service, Nigeria Institute of Public Relations, Society for Peace Studies & Practice, National Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies, Wole Soyinka Centre for Investigative Journalists, Lagos, Nigerian Union of Journalists and the Federal University, Duse, Jigawa State.
In 2019, he received a US$ 800,000 extension grant he won from the MacArthur Foundation of Chicago (USA) after successfully managing the first part of the grant of US700,000 for strengthening investigative and data driven journalism in the Faculty of Communication awarded in 2017. The grant enabled him to successfully work with the NUC and other stakeholders to unbundle the discipline of Mass Communication in Nigeria into eight new degree programmes and establish a digital FM Radio station and 150 computer laboratories in addition to instituting a scholarship from which about 150 female students are benefitting with each receiving N100,000 annually. In June 19, 2022, he won another grant for his Faculty of Communication in BUK another grant of $1.350 Million to promote the teaching and research of journalism in Nigerian Universities.
In 2020, Professor Umaru Pate was deservedly appointed Vice-Chancellor, Federal University, Kashere, in Gombe State; a position in which he has made tremendous impact to date.
Happily married with children, the highly-respected Kaigamma of Adamawa enjoys tremendous goodwill with several individuals and organisations across theworld.
Ladies & Gentlemen, we proudly invite Professor Umaru A. Pate to receive the HLF-Christopher Kolade Award for Excellence in Leadership and Professionalism in the Media.
Hearty Congratulations, Respected Professor!