Prof. Sulyman Age Abdulkareem (Chairman CVC Federal Universities)

Professor Sulyman Age Abdulkareem is Professor of Chemical Engineering and the present Vice-Chancellor of University of llorin in Nigeria.

He was born on 21st January, 1954 at Oro town, Irepodun Local Government area of Kwara State.  He attended the Government Secondary School, Ilorin, for both his secondary school education and the Higher School Certificate (HSC) from 1968 to 1974, which he undertook with a Kwara State Government Scholarship.

He later got the Federal Government Scholarship for his university education at the University of Detroit, Detroit, Michigan, U.S.A. between 1975 and 1980.  At the end of the course, he came out in flying colors and was awarded the MChE, B.Ch.E. (Chemical Engineering) specializing in Heterogeneous Catalysis/Reaction Engineering.

Professor Abdulkareem emerged Chairman Committee of Vice-Chancellors Nigerian Federal Universities on the 4th of March 2021.

From 1985 to 1988, this high-flying intellectual was awarded the United States of America National Science Foundation Fellowship for his Ph.D programme Chemical Engineering at the University of Louisville, USA.  He also completed his in flying colors and obtained the Engineer-In-Training Certificate of the State of Minnesota, USA in 1991.  He became a Registered Engineer of the Nigerian Society of Engineers in 2002 and a COREN Registered Engineer in 2004.

Prof. Abdulkareem, who joined the services of the University of Ilorin in 1996 and became Professor in 2005, was a Research Engineer/Assistant Professor (R&D) at the King Fahd University of Petroleum & Minerals, Research Institute, Saudi Arabia, between 1992 and 1994; Senior Development Engineer (R&D) at 3M Company, St Paul, Minnesota, USA (1988 – 1992); Graduate  Teaching Assistant, University of Louisville, Kentucky, USA (1985 – 1988); Lecturer, Detroit Board of Education Detroit, Michigan, USA (August 1984 to August 1985); and Industrial Engineer, the Nigerian Steel Development Company, Ajaokuta (February 1983 – March 1984). With 39 publications in highly journals, and about 49 Research and Development Technical Papers, Prof. Abdulkareem has attended and presented incisive papers at 57 major conferences/workshops both locally and internationally.

A versatile academic, the Vice-Chancellor has many professional attainments to his credit in the course of his career. He was Editor, Science & Humanities Journal, University of Ilorin in 2004; Technical Reviewer, Research Journal of Science, University of Maiduguri in 2008; Associate Editor, Nigerian Journal of Technological Development, University of Ilorin in 2009; External Examiner (PG ChE Department), Ladoke Akintola University of Technology (LAUTECH), Ogbomoso, in 2010 – 2014; External Examiner, Fountain University, Osogbo (2014); External Assessor, Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria (ChE Doctoral Candidates), 2014 – 2016); External Assessor, Usmanu Dan Fodiyo University, Sokoto (Petroleum Chemistry Professorial Candidates (2014 – 2016); External Assessor, LAUTECH, Ogbomoso (Chemical Engineering Professorial Candidates); External Assessor/Examiner, Federal University of Technology, Minna (Chemical Engineering Professorial and Postgraduate Candidates; External Assessor, Modibo Adama University of technology, Yola (Chemical Engineering Professorial Candidates); External Assessor, Tshwane University of Technology, Pretoria, South Africa (Postgraduate Chemical Engineering Candidates); External Examiner, Kwara State University, Malete (Industrial Chemistry Department).

The erudite scholar and astute administrator is married to Hajia Falilat Abdulkareem and they have six children.