Dr Sa’ad Toyin Abdullahi is the current acting dean, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Ilorin, Kwara State. He specialises in Pharmaceutical and Medicinal Chemistry and currently has over 30 publications in reputable peer-reviewed local and international journals to his credit. His teaching and research interests predominantly focus on pharmaceutical analysis, clinical pharmacology, pharmacokinetics, pharmacogenetics and pharmacometrics.
Born on 30 July, 1976, Abdullahi hails from Ilorin-West Local Government Area of Kwara State. He had his elementary education at Aliyu Makama LGA Primary School, Barnawa, Kaduna, Kaduna State, from 1981 to 1986. He proceeded to Government Secondary School, Minna, Niger State, from 1986 to 1991.
He was admitted into Ahmadu Bello University (ABU), Zaria, in 1994 and graduated with a Bachelor of Pharmacy degree in 2001. Thereafter, he had his mandatory internship training with Ahmadu Bello University Teaching Hospital, at the Malumfashi Unit in Katsina State, between 2001 and 2002. He served as an NYSC pharmacist, at General Hospital, Geidam, Yobe State, between October 2002 and September 2003.
Abdullahi obtained his master’s degree in Pharmaceutical and Medicinal Chemistry, from Ahmadu Bello University, in 2010 and then proceeded to Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Nigeria in 2013 for his PhD. He eventually bagged his PhD in November 2017.
The acting dean joined the University of Ilorin in July, 2012. Prior to then, he had worked as a locum pharmacist at Y-Fab Pharmacy, Kaduna, from 2003 to 2004; after which he joined Worldwide Commercial Ventures Limited (WWCVL), now known as Worldwide Healthcare, as pharmaceutical representative. He rose to the position of zonal manager before resigning to join University of Ilorin as Lecturer II in July, 2012. He was promoted to the rank of Reader in 2021.
Until he became the dean of the faculty, Abdullahi had held several administrative positions in the university. He was the acting head, Department of Pharmaceutical and Medicinal Chemistry, from 2017 to 2022. He was a two-term departmental examination officer, from 2012 to 2017, and 2020 to 2022. He has also served in several committees. He was a member of the university SERVICOM Committee, from 2016 to 2022; member, Campus Security Committee, from 2017 to 2022; member, Faculty Junior Staff Appointments & Promotions Committee, 2018 to date; member, Faculty Senior Staff Appointments and Promotions Committee, from 2022 to date. He has also been a member of the university Senate since 2017.
A professional to the core, Abdullahi is a member of the Nigeria Association of Pharmacists in Academia (NAPA), Unilorin Chapter. He was the secretary of the association, from 2017 to 2020. He also served as the chairman, from 2020 to 2022. He is a registered pharmacist with the Pharmacy Council of Nigeria (PCN), as well as member of the Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria (PSN). He is also a member of the Statistics and Pharmacometrics Interest Group, the Royal Society of Chemistry, the PSN Kwara Education Committee (since 2020).
Abdullahi also served in various capacities as an Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) ad hoc staff, in the 2019 and 2023 general elections. These include being the returning officer for the Ilorin East/Ilorin South Federal House of Representatives Constituency.
The acting dean has received many awards and grants, including the Senate Research Grant and TETfund Institution Based Research Grant. He holds a certificate in Continuous Professional Development Course in Meta-Analysis from Karolinska Institutet, the Department of Medicine, Solna, Stockholm, Sweden (2016); as well as the John Maxwell Special Leadership Course certificate (2023).
Dr Abdullahi is happily married to Mrs Mulikat Abdullahi, a medical laboratory scientist, and the marriage is blessed with children.
