EDUCATION
Mr. Tahir holds BA and PhD in Mass Communication from the University of Maiduguri, and a Masters in Special English from Modibbo Adama University Yola. He also attended professional training courses in Nigeria and abroad, which include: Newscasting & Presentation Techniques Course at TV College Jos (1984), Broadcast Production Course at Radio Nigeria Training School Lagos (1994), General Management course at the Administrative Staff College of Nigeria (ASCON) Badagry-Lagos (2006), Radio Executives Workshop at Deutsche Welle Broadcast Academy Cologne, Germany (2000), Harris Transmitter Corporation Cambridge UK (2000), American University Washington (2006), Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) Washington DC where in 2006, he became the first African Fellow and alumnus of the Abshire-Inamori Leadership Academy (AILA).
CAREER HISTORY
Mr. Tahir led an accomplished career in the media and the academia spanning over three decades. He started as a television reporter with NTA Yola, before venturing into newspaper journalism and served as a staff writer, freelancer and columnist for Daily Times, Vanguard, The Guardian, The Democrat, Hotline, NewsPage and The New Nigerian in Lagos, Kaduna and Abuja. In 1991, he joined radio broadcasting at the Voice of Nigeria (VON) Lagos where he served as News Editor and later appointed to Supervise the Fulfulde Language Service. He was later appointed General Manager/CEO of Adamawa Broadcasting Corporation Yola, from 1999 until 2003. At the opening of American University of Nigeria (AUN) in 2004, Mr. Tahir founded the Public Relations department as Director and developed the first visibility blueprint for marketing the new institution. Mr. Tahir also served as Interim Director for Admissions and was responsible for developing the inaugural student’s recruitment campaign plan, which enrolled the first entering class in September 2005. He later served in concurrent capacity as Associate Director for Enrollment Services at AUN. In April 2011 he joined the senior management team of the university and served as Vice President (DVC) for University Relations for ten years. In the summer of 2009, he was appointed as an Adjunct Professor of Communication & Multimedia Studies, a role he played alongside his administrative responsibilities until August 2021. In that position, he taught courses, which included Public Speaking, Broadcasting, News Writing, Media Internships, Marketing Communication, Photo Journalism, Public Relations, Events Management, etc. in August 2023, he was appointed the Founding Registrar of Prime University Abuja, a position he now holds.
COMMUNITY SERVICE
In 2016, to satiate a longstanding passion for education, community engagement and service learning, Mr. Tahir established Konngol SilverTongue Institute in Yola, the first Public Speaking and Events Management training center in the north east region of Nigeria. In December 2021, the Lamido Adamawa conferred on him the traditional title of KaaKaaKey (Spokesman) for Fombina Emirate, the first to hold the portfolio.
AFFILIATIONS
Mr. Tahir is a professional member of the Nigeria Institute of Public Relations (NIPR) and is affiliated to the governing boards of several broadcast stations including Pulaaku FM and Gotel Radio and TV in Yola. He also serves on the board of National Museum Fombina. In 1992, he founded the University of Maiduguri Alumni Association Lagos State Chapter as its First President. In September 1999, he became the first northerner to be elected into the Executive Committee of Nigeria Union of Journalists as Vice Chairman for Lagos State. During this period, he was also elected as Chairman of Legico Estate Residents Association on Victoria Island, Lagos.
PUBLICATIONS
Mr. Tahir has written several scholarly papers and articles and attended many conferences on local and international platforms. His interest traverses the spheres of Broadcasting, Public Relations, Speech Communication, Events Management and Emergency Communication Management. His doctoral thesis at UniMaid, which focuses on Emergency Communication Management was a deliberate coincidence with the time when the Boko Haram Insurgency reached its crescendo. Mr. Tahir has four books currently underway on family biography, personal autobiography, his selected papers and other works, as well as a bilingual collection of poetry in English and Fulfulde.