Prof Abdullahi Smith: The Scholar who founded the History Dept at ABU Zaria
Chila Andrew
Prof Abdullahi Smith was a renowned scholar and Professor of History who founded the History Department at Ahmadu Bello University (ABU) Zaria and supervised many pioneer Ph.D. theses, including those of Sa’ad Abubakar, Yusufu Bala Usman, Kyari Tijani, Mahmud Modibbo Tukur and many others. He was also the Pioneer Director of the Arewa House Centre for Documentation and Historical Research in Kaduna.
Birth, Education and Career
Abdullahi Smith was born Henry Fredrick Charles Smith on 5th May 1920 at Somerset, England. After Army service in India during the Second World War, he went to the University of Cambridge for his first degree. On completing his University education, he joined the education service in the Sudan.
In 1955 he was recruited by the Department of History, University College, Ibadan, where along with Professor K. O. Dike they developed the teaching of African History in the University from the scratch. He was a founding member of the Historical Society of Nigeria in 1955. He had served as its Honorary Secretary from 1956-1969.
In 1962 he moved over to Ahmadu Bello University (ABU) Zaria, to establish the Department of History. He developed the Zaria School of History, which became well known in Nigeria. In 1970-1980 he moved over to Kaduna to establish the Centre for Documentation and Historical Studies, popularly known as Arewa House, ABU, Kaduna
He had supervised 19 Ph.D. and 3 MA Theses in the period 1960-1980; indeed he supervised the first Ph.D. thesis of Ahmadu Bello University by Saad Abubakar in 1970. He converted to Islam when he was the Director of Arewa House. He died in 1984. The lecture theatre at the faculty of art, Ahmadu Bello University is named after him.
