Celebrating an academic colossus: Prof. Suleiman Balarabe





By Abubakar Ahmed Albarkawa


The Federal University of Education, Zaria, recently witnessed a well-deserved elevation as Dr. Suleiman Balarabe ascended to the distinguished rank of Professor of English. Currently serving as the Deputy Vice-Chancellor of FUE, Zaria, Prof. Balarabe stands as a scholar of exceptional intellectual frequency and rare academic depth. 

A teacher of uncommon vigor, he brings English to life in the lecture hall. When it comes to oral delivery, even the white people are seven degrees below the mode of his expressions. Gifted with the art of storytelling, he weaves knowledge into narratives that captivate and endure. His eloquence commands attention, and his persuasive nature turns complex ideas into clear, compelling truths. 

Endowed with the gift of the pen, Prof. Balarabe writes with precision and power. His versatility is remarkable — he moves with ease across the entire spectrum of English studies, teaching every course with mastery and confidence. In sociolinguistics he echoes the foundational brilliance of Ferdinand de Saussure, guiding students through language, society, and meaning with clarity. When it comes to language, he can teach jinns and angels. 

He has true mastery of words, and semantics lies at his disposal like a craftsman with his finest tools. I remember when he was an ordinary PhD, he corrected a professor of English from the South who wished to dance to the gallery — such is the weight of his scholarship. From phonetics to pragmatics, from stylistics to discourse analysis, he teaches not just as a scholar, but as one who lives and breathes the language. 

Far beyond teaching blended with administrative engagements, he is socially accepted, personally adjusted, and emotionally responsible. Come to know him, you would not regret it. 

Yet, for all these heights attained, Prof. Suleiman Balarabe still has a long way to go. Nobody knows tomorrow, but I personally see it in him: the journey has only begun. For a mind so luminous and a spirit so driven, the sky is not the limit — the sky is his starting point.

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