This biography highlights the academic success of the youngest female Law Professor from the North West geopolitical zone of Nigeria, Aisha Maikudi, who was appointed as Acting Vice-Chancellor of the University Abuja on June 26, 2024 and later as the 7th substantive VC of UniAbuja on in December 2024
While there are issues around girl child education and out-of-school children in the Northern part of Nigeria, there are some females from that part, whose stories inspire the younger generation. One of them is Aisha Sani Maikudi, the new Acting VC of the University of Abuja.
Aisha, who hails from Katsina State, has been setting records ever since she joined the services of the University of Abuja in 2008, she was the youngest female law lecturer at the time.
Academic background
Born in Zaria on January 31, 1983, Aisha started school very early, in an interview, she disclosed that her mum took her to school when she was one. By 10, she had completed primary school and immediately enrolled at the prestigious Queens College, Lagos.
In 1999, when she was 16, she wrote the West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE).
From there, she proceeded to the United Kingdom, where she enrolled for A Level class for two years. She gained admission to study Law at the University of Reading and capped it with LLM from the London School of Economics & Political Science both in the United Kingdom.
She returned to Nigeria for her qualifying exam at the Nigerian Law School, Abuja. Upon completing the one year mandatory National Youth Service Corp (NYSC) at the Corporate Secretariat and Legal Division of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation.
Her Mum influenced her to become a law teacher
Surprisingly, Aisha, who is today an authority in Company Law, Jurisprudence and International Law both in class and on the field never thought of becoming a law teacher. But her mother, who was a teacher at the time, played a huge role in her lecturing journey. “My mom was a teacher, so that influenced it a bit,” she told Daily Trust in 2023.
After her NYSC, she was accompanying her mum to campus, who was a PhD student at the University of Abuja at the time.
The Vice Chancellor of UniAbuja at the time, Professor Nuhu Yakub, was one of her mum’s supervisors.
Coincidentally, there were vacancies at the Faculty of Law of UniAbuja, she had seized the opportunity to apply and was invited for an interview, which she passed excellently well and joined UniAbuja 2008, she was the youngest female law lecturer at the time.
Aisha, who has supervised several PhD students, had bias for Company law, said she would have gone into full time practice if had studied the course for the love of money.
Her capability as VC (acting)
Her role as deputy vice chancellor (academics) include chairing committees such as staff development committee, central committee on exam malpractice, the committee of provosts.
Her inspiration
Apart from her mother who inspired her into academics, the youngest female VC (acting) in the history of Nigeria once said she grew up seeing books including on her Dad’s bed.
“And every time he travelled I always asked him to bring me books. So I was always reading,” she said.
Breaking record
Apart from being the youngest female law professor at the Faculty of Law in UniAbuja, she rose to become HOD of her department when she was 31.
At 35, Aisha Maikudi had risen to deputize the Dean, Faculty of Law of the institution.
At 36, (in 2019), was appointed as the pioneer Director, University of Abuja International Centre.
In 2022, the brilliant young Aisha was promoted to a full professor of International Law, becoming the first female from the North West geopolitical zone of Nigeria to achieve such a feat.
On June 30, 2024, she was appointed the acting Vice-Chancellor of UniAbuja and on December 31, 2024, she was appointed the 7th substantive Vice-Chancellor of University of Abuja.
A member of the Nigerian Bar Association, Nigerian Law Teachers Association, International Federation of Women Lawyers, and several bodies within and outside Nigeria, she is reputed to have conducted several researches on United Nations Law.
As we celebrate Prof. Aisha Maikudi today as the VC of UniAbuja in acting capacity, her story should inspire the young girls in the North, other parts of Nigeria, and the rest of Africa.
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