Background and education
Professor Abdullahi Liman Tukur was born in Kilbawo, Jada Local Government Area. He began his education at Yelwa Primary School before transferring to Jada I Primary School, where he obtained the First School Leaving Certificate, and attended Government Secondary School, Ganye, from 1974.
He earned a B.Sc. in Geography from Bayero University, Kano (1981–1984), an M.Sc. in Resources and Development from the University of Maiduguri (1988), and a Ph.D. in Environmental and Resources Planning from the University of Jos (1997). In 1993 he completed a six-month certificate course in Remote Sensing and Geographic Information Systems at Durham University, United Kingdom, specialising in resources appraisal, land use and conflict management.
Academic career
Professor Tukur joined the Federal University of Technology, Yola — now Modibbo Adama University — as a Graduate Assistant in Geography in September 1986, rising to the rank of Professor in 2009. He served twice as Dean of the School of Environmental Sciences and as Director of the Centre for Distance Learning.
He has co-edited two textbooks and published extensively in national and international scientific journals, and holds membership of several professional bodies, including the Association of Nigerian Geographers, the International Association of Hydrological Sciences and the International Geographical Union.
International engagement
He has undertaken leadership training with Crown Agents in Worthing, United Kingdom, and at the Leadership Training Center in Morehouse, Atlanta. He led the Nigerian delegation to the International Geographical Congress in Glasgow in 2004, and subsequently attended IGU congresses in Tunis (2008) and Paris (2022). In 2012 he was invited by the Government of the Netherlands to The Hague for discussions on the future of the Lake Chad Basin.
Public service
As Executive Chairman of the Adamawa State Universal Basic Education Board (ASUBEB), Professor Tukur introduced the red-roof design for public primary schools and initiated the construction of storey buildings, computer centres and mega libraries. He also briefly served as Secretary to the Adamawa State Government.
From 2019 to 2024 he served as the 8th Vice-Chancellor of Modibbo Adama University, Yola. During his tenure he oversaw the university's conversion from a specialised to a conventional institution, establishing a College of Medical Sciences, a Faculty of Law and a Faculty of Social and Management Sciences, and expanding the Centre for Distance Learning.
Role in the movement
As Director-General, Professor Tukur leads the State Directorate of the Adamawa Renewed Hope 226 Movement, which sets strategic direction and messaging, allocates resources, coordinates with the national APC structure, and monitors performance across all five levels of the movement — from the state to the 4,104 polling units.
He remains actively engaged in initiatives on sustainable environmental management, peacebuilding and good governance in Nigeria and beyond.
