Professor L. S. Bilbis: A Scientist and An Administrator

By Toyin Falola

On July 29, 2024, Professor Bilbis stepped down as the Vice Chancellor of the Usmanu Danfodiyo University (UDUS) after a fruitful service to the University and Nigeria in general. One who has walked the valleys of academics and scholarship would understand the strenuous tasks that are associated with scholarship and the growth of the same. To research subjects and topics that change norms and standards, to take on the duty of expanding the frontiers of knowledge, to impact the same knowledge, and to provide technical and professional solutions to the many problems that plague a nation are, in themselves, loads of remarkable efforts.

Seeing this task, one would believe that the role of academics in administrative leadership could be with some permissible lapses. However, Professor Bilbis has been on the front roll of those who have been able to distinguishingly combine these academic endeavours with administrative success. As the vice-chancellor of the university, his achievement makes one wonder about his approach, which makes both academics and administration look easier to combine.

In July 2019, Professor Bilbis took the mantle of leadership of one of the most revered universities in Nigeria, brazing trails of distinctions and project realisation since then. I belong to a philosophical bloc that the best administrator of an educational institution must be distinctive in academics and research in order not just to lead effectively but to reliably understand the real experience of the people and set a professional example for others.

Professor Bilbis’ higher education vacation started at the UDUS, where he received his Bachelor of Science in Biochemistry in 1986, eleven years after the establishment of the institution. He obtained his doctorate in Biological Chemistry at the University of Essex, Colchester, in 1992. He had consciously been making efforts to reach the top of his career and has followed the same path to become the Vice Chancellor of UDUS.

In 2002, Professor Bilbis was promoted to a full Professor of Biochemistry at the University after 14 years of service. He has set a mark in biochemistry in Nigeria. His contributions to paediatric and clinical nutrition, protein chemistry and antimalarial are outstanding. His research focus has been targeted at tropical concerns and national health and scholarship needs. Some of these needs are also the national efforts towards combatting diabetes and hypertension, among others, whereby Professor Bilbis has provided commendable research returns and the extension of the knowledge in that medical area. His desire to provide scholarly and medical solutions was inspired by his role as a clinical biochemist at the General Hospital in Gusau, which preceded his engagement at the University.

The particular focus of Professor Bilbis’s research is concentrated on the pathogenesis of traumatic brain injury and oxidative stress, diabetes, cardiovascular diseases and stroke, on which he has published copious papers and articles. He has not less than 100 papers on the above subjects in different reputable journals across the world. He has also presented not less than 70 research papers at conferences of international and national interest. Professor Bilbis has at least three patents in his name, which signifies his interest in innovative scholarship and solution-based research.

What makes Professor Bilbis’s research stand out is the global perspectives they bear. The world has faced different dimensions of medical complications with a high incidence of diabetes and others that have formed the fulcrum of his research. Today, about 537 million adults between the ages of 20 and 79 years have diabetes, and the figure is projected to increase at a worrisome rate in the next decades. The world also has about 27 to 69 million people who are victims of traumatic brain injury annually. Research has also shown that these people have significant disabilities that could affect their reliability in global economic and social considerations.

Hence, pushing a research front towards these important global concerns and doing the same with remarkable distinction is an applaudable achievement. Understanding these contributions, it is no brainer that his efforts have been commended from all quarters, including reputable international bodies. His membership and fellowship in many professional and international institutions are, therefore, not negotiable.

Professor Bilbis is a fellow of the Nigerian Society of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology. He was a fellow of King Khalid Military Academy, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, from 1996 to 1998, Science Association of Nigeria (FSAN), African Scientific Institute (FASI), Solar Energy Society of Nigeria (FSESN), Nigerian Society of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (FNSBMB), and a member of National Health Research Committee (NHRC). He is also part of the Executive Council of Federated African Societies of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology.

Some of his contributions and co-authored publications have been signs of the social relevance that his knowledge production has acquired. “Human Salivary Thiocyanate Level of Adult Volunteers in Sokoto, Nigeria,” “The Hypolipidaemic Effects of the Partially Purified Hypoglycaemic Agent,” “Aqueous Leaf Extract of Albizzia Chevalieri Harms,” “Studies of Prokallikreins from Sheep Pancreas and Kidney,” “Antioxidants in the Service of Man,” “Effects of Anthraquinone Glycosides and Aqueous Ethanol Extracts of Ficus Sycomorus L.(Moraceae) on Rat Liver and Kidney Functions,” “Effects of α-tocopherol and Ascorbic Acid in the Severity and Management of Traumatic Brain Injury in Albino Rats,” “Effect of Anti-oxidant-Rich Nutraceutical on Serum Glucose, Lipid Profile, and Oxidative Stress Markers of Salt-Induced Metabolic Syndrome in Rats,” and “Serum Levels of Antioxidant Vitamins and Mineral Elements of Human Immunodeficiency Virus Positive Subjects in Sokoto, Nigeria,” are some of the notable contributions to some of his research areas that have been of high intellectual qualities and relevance to the world of knowledge today.

As common knowledge, research is not the only commitment of the academic; one must express special skills in knowledge transmission. Over the years of Professor Bilbis’ teachings, he had had a commendable run with his students, leaving them with enough knowledge for their professional and personal needs. The courses and topics he handled are part of the vivid experience of his students because of the pedagogical clarity in which they are impacted. I am convinced that the thousands of students he has lectured so far will always remember his contributions to their wealth of knowledge and his pointers to social development. He has supervised, with utmost distinction, many Masters dissertations and 18 PhD theses in the course of his academic career. He is eminently qualified to be called a “pedagogist” for his contributions to teaching.

On the other wing of his career, Professor Bilbis has proven himself to be an extraordinary administrator as he set the pace for others to follow. Aside from membership in committees within and outside the university, his administrative highlights started as the Head of the Department of Biochemistry, where his care for students, members of staff, and administrative duties drew commendations. His skill was of great use in the university as the Dean of the Faculty of Science. He was also the director of the University Development Office and the Deputy Vice-Chancellor.

His outstanding administrative and leadership acumen attracted the mandate of being the first Vice Chancellor of Federal University, Birnin Kebbi, where he found the paths for institutional development as well as a culture of excellence. Today, the path the university follows is the insightful blueprints mapped out by Professor Bilbis, and the size and success of the university have become inspiring.

The efforts of Professor Bilbis and his accomplishments became a respectable reference point for his emergence as the Vice Chancellor of UDUS. As the vice-chancellor, he distinguished himself as one of the most respected people in the office. During his tenure, the University became one of the most peaceful in the country, and the academic and research endeavours of the institution increased with considerable reputation. Under Professor Bilbis, UDUS attracted a global and national spotlight. Just recently, the University, under him, secured 16,500 Euros from the Transforming Energy Access (TEA) and the University raised substantial grants in 2023. I am confident that the standard he set has placed a heavy responsibility on the shoulders of his successor, and the enduring contributions he has made will move UDUS forward. Professor Bilbis is an extraordinary scholar and a national treasure whose wealth of knowledge and experience must continue to be appreciated and put to use. Nigeria will continue to need his services.