HISTORICAL BACKGROUND OF THE CENTRE:
Shaikh Nasir Kabara Research Centre is a newly developed concept; privately initiated to help in the development of intellectual activities in West Africa, by preserving and conserving the significant scholarly works carried by our great scholars within the sub region, as well as developing such recorded ideas into modern methods of print and electronic technologies.
The Centre is a nonprofit making and non-political organization named after Shaikh Nasir Kabara for his contribution to knowledge and scholarship in the contemporary African society during his life.
The idea for the establishment of this Centre emerged in the year 2001, but it comes into existence recently in the year 2009 when the committee for the establishment of the Centre received the donation of One Million Eight Hundred Thousand Naira from Kano State Government of Nigeria in the year 2008. This gives the committee an opportunity to acquire the important tools and other office equipments for the take up of the Centre.
The committee also formed two sub-committees viz: (literature and Audio Visual materials search) in order to search for any relevant information resources regarding to the subject matter as a take up stock.
The committee selected one among scholars that participated in scholarship activities in West Africa (Shaikh Nasir Kabara) and launched a wide search on his literary works.
Universities, Higher institutions, Archival agencies, media houses and other libraries as well as individuals in Nigeria were visited and copied significant information resources in print and electronic formats.
Our intension from the beginning was to establish a corner within the premises of Murtala Muhammad library complex, but as a result of the search the committees carried out we realized that there is the need for developing that idea from a corner to a private research centre that could take the responsibility of collating and preserving the work done by our great scholars in West Africa and make it available to the researchers. This necessitates us to review our policy that leads to the expending the services expected to render and the area of coverage.
Our great scholars in West Africa made a lot in the area of intellectualism, and we suppose to show our appreciation to them by collating, preserving and publishing the work they did even if they are no longer alive, since the labour of our heroes past shall never be in vain.
it is also our belief that West African intellectual outcome can compete with that of other international scholarship ones in terms of knowledge competence, objectivity and diversity, but the problem is about how we can present them to the world in a modern advanced way.
After all these processes, the Centre came into existence as the first private sector to initiate such significant role commissioned by His Royal Highness the Emir of Kano (Dr.) Alh. Ado Bayero on 13th March, 2010.
AIMS AND OBJECTIVES:
The aims and objectives of the Centre are:
1. To promote Intellectual values and Scholarly activities;
2. To search, collect, preserve and make available the intellectual works written by Islamic classical and contemporary scholars, as well as Islamic archival documents and materials in Nigeria and West Africa in general;
3. To organize Workshops, Seminars, Conferences, Orientations, Vocations and other training and programmes to showcase, educate and enlighten about the scholarly activities;
4. To produce publications and documentaries in line with the set objectives of the Centre in various languages in print and electronic format;
5. To work with Governmental and Non-Governmental Organizations in promoting research and charitable activities in educational, ICT, socio-cultural, economic, political, recreational and other human development;
6. To do all such lawful things as may be considered to be incidental or conducive to the attainment of the above objects or any of them.
ORGANIZATIONAL STRUCTURE:
The center has the following units:
1. Administrative unit:
This unit entails the office of the Executive director, Secretary, programmes coordinator and accountant.
1. Research Library, Museum and Archives:
This unit entails reference materials, research papers and dissertations, serial publications, manuscripts and other historical intellectual artifact of our great scholars.
2. Research and Development:
This unit was created to conduct research, to organize workshops, seminars and conferences about the set aims and objectives.
3. E- Library:
This unit was created to serve the needs of researchers in relation to international super highway that links the researchers to the modern global information communication warehouse.
4. Audio–Visual Center:
This unit entails the collection of historical and educational information stored in electronic format.
5. Digital Studio:
This is the arena where digital information is processed, organized, stored and packaged accordingly in versatile formats.
MEMBERS OF THE GOVERNING BOARD
S/NO NAME POSITION
1. His Royal Highness The Emir of Kano (Dr.) Alh. Ado Bayero CFR, LLD, JP Grand Patron
2. Mal. Sunusi Lamido Sunusi Chairman/Patron
3. (Dr.) Alh. Aminu Alasan Dantata Member/Patron
4. Khalifah Shaikh Is’haq Rabi’u Member/Patron
5. (Dr.) Yusif Maitama Sule, Dan Masanin Kano Member/Patron
6. Galadiman Kano Alh. Tijjani Hashim Member/Patron
7. Galadiman Dutse Alh. Basiru Muhammad Sunusi Member/Patron
8. Alh. Bashir Usman Tofa Member/Patron
9. Alh. Sani Buhari Daura Member/Patron
10. (Dr.) Hajiya Mariya Sunusi Dantata Member/Patron
11. Prof. Isa Hashim, Jarman Kano Member/Patron
12 Prof. Dandatti Abdulkadir Member/Patron
13. Prof. Garba Dahuwa Azare Member/Patron
14. Prof. Muhammad Dahir Sulaiman Member/Patron
15. Prof. Umar Garba Danbatta Member/Patron
16. Prof. Abdulkadir Dan Gambo Member/Patron
17 Dr. Sani Hamis Darma Member/Patron
18. Shaikh Musa Abdullahi, Chief Imam Abuja central Mosque Member/Patron
19. Khalifa Shaikh Karibullah Shaikh Nasir Kabara Member/Patron
20. Shaikh Musal Kasiyuni Shaikh Nasir Kabara Member/Patron
21. Shaikh Abduljabbar Shaikh Nasir Kabara Member/Patron
22. Shaikh Kabiru Ibrahim Madabo Member/Patron
23. Khalifah Shaikh Sammani Yusuf Makwarari Member/Patron
24. Khalifah Tajuddeen Abdul’azee Olougbo Abeukuta Member/Patron
25. Alh. Aminu Ahmad Mai Turare, Zannan Kano Coordinator/Patron
26. Hon Ghali Umar Na’abba Member/Patron
27. Dr. Isma’il Idris Member/Patron
28. (Dr.) Shaikh Yusuf Ali Member/Patron
29. Alh. Bello Isa Bayero Member/Patron
30. Askia Nasir Kabara Secretary
MEMBERS OF THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES
S/NO NAME POSITION
1. Alh. Aminu Ahmad mai Turare, Zannan Kano Chairman
2. Alh. Sabi’u Bako Mai Shinku Member
3. Mal. Askia Shaikh Nasir Kabara Secretary
4. Dr. Musa Tukur Yakasai Member
5. Alh. Nuhu Gudaji Member
6. Mal. Aliyul Khauwas Shaikh Nasir Kabara Member
7. Alh. Usman Muhammad Sagagi Member
8. Hon. Hadi Ashiru Sudawa Member
9. Alh. Hamisu Halilu Gwarzo Member
10. Mal. Ibrahim Hassan Deen Member
MEMBERS OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS
S/NO NAME POSITION
1. Mal. Hassan Muhammad K/Na’isa Chairman Board of Directors
2. Zannan Kano Alh. Aminu Ahmad Mai Turare Director Integration
3. Prof. Dandatti Abdulkadir Director Strategic & Planning
4. Dr. Musa Tukur Yakasai Director Research and Development
5. Dr. Lukman I. Diso Director Information & Communication Technology
6. Mal. Musa Auyo Director Library, Museum & Archive
7. Alh. Usman Bala Director Consultancy Services
8. Bar. Nabahani Usman Director Legal Affairs
9. Mal. Aliyul Khauwas Shaikh Nasir Kabara Director Islamic Education
10. Mal. Askia Shaikh Nasir Kabara Executive Director/ Secretary Board of Directors
11. Mal. Muhd. Aminu Kabara Deputy Director integration
12. Shareef Tijjani Gambo Deputy Director strategic & planning
13. Dr. Usman Sani Abbas Deputy Director Research and Development
14. Mal. Danladi Bala Deputy Director ICT
15. Mal. Abdullahi Wambai Diso Deputy Director Library, Museum and Archive
16. Alh. Umar Umar Kafinta Deputy Director Consultancy
17. Bar. Abubakar Aminu Ahmad Deputy Director Legal Affairs
18. Mal. Mukhtar Ahmad S/Dinki Deputy Director Islamic Education
ACTIVITIES AND ACHIEVEMENTS:
1. Formation of Technical Committee:
Immediately after the commissioning of the Centre, a Technical Committee was being set up under the chairmanship of Mal. Hassan Muhammad K/Na’isa (Deputy Librarian Bayero University Kano), and his Deputy Dr. Lukman I Diso (a senior lecturer, Dept. of Library and Information Science B.U.K.) in order to critically analyze the present structure of the centre and reposition it to a standard level of formal research centre that can compete with other national and international research centers.
The first achievement reached by this committee was the formation of constitution by the subcommittee under the chairmanship of Bar. Nabahani Usman and his deputy Bar. Abubakar Aminu Ahmad.
The second milestone reached by this committee was the Corporate Affairs Commission Registration of the incorporated trustees. Today, the Centre is a formal registered organization under the companies and allied matters Act No. 1 of 1990, part C.
2. Educational Programmes:
One of the significant aims of this Centre is promoting scholarly activities in the society. In this area, the Centre introduced ICT training (Diploma and Certificate) in order to help in boosting our youth generation in terms of modern information technology. Shaikh Nasir Kabara Research Centre now offered scholarship to some selected secondary schools students based on academic performance studying Certificate on Information Communication Technology within the Centre, these schools includes
Ma’ahad Shaikh Nasir Kabara, Gwale Kano
Adamu Na Ma’aji Secondary School, Kano
Government Girls Secondary School, Goron Dutse, Kano
A part from that, the Centre introduced an orientation film programme by showing historical events presented by our great scholars during their life that take place on weekly basis at the premises of the Centre.
3. Media House Programmes:
The participation of the Centre spread to media Houses where the Centre sponsored the tafsir of one of the great scholars in Hausa land ( Shaikh Nasir Kabara) during the month of Ramadhan aired by Radio Kano. The Centre also participated in the societal reorientation campaign through media house, i.e. its campaign to the society to participate in the recent voters’ registration exercise aired by freedom radio, Kano.
4. Library, Museum and Archive:
This unit started as handicapped from the time when the Centre was commissioned, but right now as far as the level of the Centre is, the collections reached to a reasonable number of relevant literatures for learning, teaching, training and research. We have Five Hundred and Seventy Six (576) text books, Seventy Five (75) Research papers and Theses, Forty Five (45) Journals and other periodicals, One Eighty One (181) Manuscripts (original and photocopy) of our great scholars.
14 researchers have been registered with the library and more than 50 researchers have also benefited from the library in Nigeria and abroad including ph D. level students.
5. Audio Visual Centre:
The electronic information resources contained in this unit includes Two Thousand One Hundred and Eighty One (2,181) Audio tapes, One Thousand and Fifty Seven (1,057) Video tapes and Three Hundred and Fifty One (351) Compact Discs.
6. Staff:
The Centre is headed by the Executive Director. Other staff positions include the Secretary of the Centre, Accountant, programmes coordinator, library officer and library assistant, E-library administrator and assistant, editor and computer operators, cleaner as well as security men.
7. Operational modalities:
The centre is well equipped with computer systems and other modern information manipulation facilities, as well as a standard generator that has the capacity to supply power to the all units within the premises of the Centre.
PROPOSED PROGRAMMES FOR 2011:
The 2010 year can be described as the “Initial stage year”, where almost our time and the financial resource of the Centre were spent in the process of standardization of the Centre itself. It is the year when technical knowhow was experienced.
However, the present year 2011 can be described as “Profile building year”. Our intension by the grace of Allah should be as follows:
1. Providing a permanent site in our headquarters here in Kano (as a short plan), and processing acquiring a piece of land in the capital territory of Nigeria (as long term plan).
2. Construction of a good website that can accommodate huge of vertical information.
3. Developing West African Scholarship Database
4. Organizing programmes that are in line with our aims and objectives, i. e.:
Islamic Science and Technology in West Africa
Islamic Banking and Finance
Security, peace and harmony
Good governance etc.
5. Publishing intellectual works of our great scholars
6. Publishing a West African Intellectual Reservoir journal
7. Presenting additional programmes through media houses, i. e. “Taskar Kasar Hausa”
8. Building the capacity of our staff and accommodating additional good and qualified ones.
9. Seeking for affiliation and collaboration with other organizations that has similar aims and objectives to us.
