Abdullahi Aliyu Yar’adua, former Press Officer to the Secretary to the Government of the State (SGS), has been awarded a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) degree in English Literature by Al-Qalam University, Katsina.
The award was announced on October 21, 2026, by the external examiner, Dr Mustapha Bala Rumah, on behalf of the Senate and the Department of English of the university.
Dr Rumah, who is also the Head of the Department of English at Umaru Musa Yar’adua University (UMYU), Katsina, announced the award following Yar’adua’s successful defence of his doctoral thesis at the final viva voce examination held at the School of Postgraduate Studies, Al-Qalam University.
He congratulated the new PhD holder on the academic achievement and directed him to effect the necessary corrections to his thesis and submit a clean copy for ratification.
The viva voce examination lasted approximately two hours and was attended by the internal examiner, Dr Shamsudeen Bello, Director of the School of Continuing Education at UMYU; Dr Hafsat Abubakar Kofar-Kaura, Head of the Department of English at Al-Qalam University; Dr Aminu Batagarawa; and a representative of the university’s School of Postgraduate Studies.
The Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Administration) of UMYU, Professor Aliyu Mukhtar, and Yar’adua’s close friend, Malam Salisu Lawal Kerau, were among the first to congratulate him following the announcement of the award.
Yar’adua’s latest academic achievement adds to his previous qualifications, which include a Bachelor of Arts degree in English from Al-Qalam University and a Master of Arts degree in English Literature from Bayero University, Kano.
