Dr. Adam Umar Yabila
Adam Umar Yabila, who made history by becoming the first Ghanaian to receive a PHD in the Teaching of Arabic to non-native speakers from the famous Islamic University of Madinah in Saudi Arabia, has returned home safely to play key roles to develop the country.
According to him, he had numerous golden and juicy opportunities to serve abroad and make more money but he rather decided to return home so his motherland (Ghana) would benefit from him, stressing that Ghanaians should develop the country.
Speaking with DAILY GUIDE on his arrival at the Kumasi Airport, he stated emphatically that the effective development of the country was the core responsibility of every Ghanaian, so the citizenry should take note and act accordingly.
“Finally, by the grace of Allah, I have submitted my work and I’m currently planning to serve my country with a good heart. I want to use the current education skills to teach so that my people would benefit from by experiences.
“Ghana is my beloved country and there is no place like home, so I’m ready to faithfully and diligently serve my country to help accelerate national transformation in order to enhance the lives of the populace,” he remarked.
Dr. Adam further stated that, “Ghana need us to serve the nation, no one will come and develop our nation unless we do it on our own, and I’m one of them”, urging other trained Ghanaians abroad to follow his footsteps.
The Ghanaian scholar proved to be very respectful, friendly, hardworking and accommodating. He displayed impressive academic prowess during his PHD studies in the university to the admiration of his professors.
Continuing, Dr. Adam, nicknamed as ‘Yellowman’, stressed that academia thesis should focus on solving problems and challenges facing society so that the citizenry would be beneficiaries of “what we learn in the classroom”.
“The academia should channel the focus of their thesis to addressing the problems of societies. This natural place of academia is to help provide sustainable development to our societies, which starts with education,” he noted.
It is against this backdrop that Dr. Adam chose ‘Creating an Arabic Curriculum for Secondary Education’ as the focus of his thesis to help address the teaching and learning impediments in non-native country like Ghana.
He said it was important that authorities concerned would roll out Arabic education in its standard form in the country to befit modern way of teaching and learning, noting that Arabic language can help accelerate Ghana’s growth.
According to him, the Gulf countries are now dominating as one of the preferred designations for business, tourism and education “not to forget about the presence of their embassies and diplomatic missions in major parts of the world”.
Dr. Adam was of the strong conviction that the Gulf countries are now a force to be reckon with in the world because of their language, saying “this makes a strong case for standardised Arabic curriculum for secondary education in Ghana”.
He entreated the youth to stay away from all social vices and rather concentrate on their education in order to enhance their future, adding that he was grateful to his professors for their enormous support.
Dr. Adam, particularly, commended Ghana’s Ambassador to Saudi Arabia, Mohammed Habibu Tijani, who graced his graduation ceremony for his support.
The Islamic University of Madinah is located in the holy city of Madinah in Saudi Arabia. It was established in 1961 and has trained top scholars. Amongst the university’s alumni are Mufti Menk, Yasir Qadhi and Bilal Philips.
FROM I.F. Joe Awuah Jnr., Kumasi