President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has approved the appointment of Dr. Umar Bukar as the Rector of Federal Polytechnic Monguno in Borno State.
The appointment was conveyed in a letter dated March 12, 2026, from the Federal Ministry of Education (Nigeria) and signed by the Minister of Education, Tunji Alausa.
According to the letter, Bukar’s appointment takes effect from March 16, 2026, and will run for a single term of five years in line with the provisions of the Federal Polytechnic Act 2019 (Amended).
Bukar, an agricultural economist and academic administrator, has nearly three decades of experience in higher education and public service.
Before the appointment, he served as Chief Lecturer at Ramat Polytechnic Maiduguri, where he held several key positions including Dean of the School of Agricultural Technology, Head of Department and Chairman of the Farm Management Committee.
His public service career includes working with the Borno State Local Government Service Commission in the Agricultural Department of Monguno Local Government Area. He also served as Vice Chairman of Monguno Local Government Council between 2002 and 2003.
During the same period, he was a board member of the Borno State Agricultural Mechanisation Authority and a facilitator with the FADAMA Programme Nigeria under the state agricultural development initiative.
Bukar has also contributed to the development of the polytechnic sector, having served as a pioneer member of the Governing Council of Federal Polytechnic Monguno between 2022 and 2023. During the period, he served on committees such as Finance and General Purpose, Project Monitoring, Industrial Harmony, as well as Staff Appointment and Promotion.
In 2024, he also served as Acting Head of the Agricultural Technology Department at the institution during a resource visitation exercise by the National Board for Technical Education.
Academically, Bukar holds a National Diploma in General Agriculture from Ramat Polytechnic Maiduguri and an Advanced Diploma in Agricultural Economics and Extension Management from Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University, Bauchi.
He also obtained a Postgraduate Diploma in Education from Kashim Ibrahim College of Education Maiduguri.
He later earned his Bachelor of Agriculture, Master of Science and Doctor of Philosophy degrees in Agricultural Economics from University of Maiduguri, completing his Ph.D. in 2023.
A prolific scholar, Bukar has published widely in national and international journals with research interests spanning agricultural marketing, climate change adaptation, food security, irrigated crop production, environmental economics and rural development.
His appointment is widely seen as recognition of his academic excellence, administrative experience and commitment to advancing technical and vocational education in Nigeria.
