Emir Hails CITAD Director Y.Z. Ya’u as ICT Pioneer in Jama’are

The Emir of Jama’are, Alhaji Ahmadu Muhammadu Wabi III, OON, has praised the Executive Director of the Centre for Information Technology and Development (CITAD), Malam Y. Z. Ya’u, for pioneering the introduction of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) knowledge in the Jama’are Emirate.

The Emir gave the commendation on Sunday during the 2025 symposium organised by the National Union of Jama’are Emirate Students (NUJES) at the Federal College of Education, Jama’are, Bauchi State.

Speaking through the Sarkin Yakin Jama’are, Alhaji Sabo Likita, the monarch said Malam Ya’u’s efforts in promoting ICT awareness and knowledge development had continued to transform the lives of youths in the emirate.

According to him, “The Executive Director of CITAD is the pioneer who brought ICT knowledge to the Jama’are Emirate. His initiatives have empowered young people, widened access to information and exposed the emirate to the benefits of modern technology.”

The symposium was organised in honour of Malam Ya’u and featured a keynote lecture titled *“Knowledge, Technology and Civic Responsibility: Reflections from the Life and Struggles of the Executive Director of CITAD, Malam Y. Z. Ya’u.”*

Delivering the keynote address, Malam Ibrahim Mu’azzam, a former academic staff of the Department of Political Science, Bayero University, Kano, said Malam Ya’u’s life demonstrated how knowledge and technology could be deployed in the service of society.

Mu’azzam noted that Ya’u consistently used knowledge as a tool for social change and civic engagement, stressing that “his struggles show that intellectual work must go beyond the classroom to address the real challenges facing communities.”

He added, “Malam Y. Z. Ya’u has shown that technology is not just about devices, but about responsibility, values and using information to empower citizens to demand accountability.”

In his remarks, Professor Ibrahim Bello-Kano described the CITAD executive director as a principled intellectual and a worthy role model for younger generations.

“Y. Z. Ya’u was one of the BUK radicals; he was never a hypocrite. We admired him because he stood firmly by his principles. He is indeed a shining model of intellectualism, a legacy we are grateful for,” Bello-Kano said.

Earlier, the President of NUJES, Comrade Abdulkadir Muhammad Bello, said the symposium was organised to recognise and celebrate Malam Ya’u’s contributions to the educational and socio-cultural development of the Jama’are Emirate.

“We reflected on the immense contributions Malam Y. Z. Ya’u has made to the Jama’are Emirate, and that is why we deemed it necessary to organise this symposium in his honour,” Bello said.