by Abubakar Basiru (300L Mass Comm)
The Faculty of Social Sciences at Ahmadu Bello University held its 3rd Symposium on April 13, 2026, at Lecture Theatre II, Samaru campus, Zaria.
The symposium focused on the topic "Fiscal Deficit Biases and Time Inconsistency in Monetary Policy: Empirical Evidence From Nigeria."
The event attracted various stakeholders, including the Vice-Chancellor, Professor Adamu Ahmed, represented by Professor Raymond Bako; Dean of the Faculty, Professor Shamsuddeen Mohammed; and Dr. Adama Adamu, Chairperson of the occasion.
In his remarks, Professor Shamsuddeen Mohammed highlighted the faculty’s commitment to addressing societal issues.
"Faculty of Social Sciences has decided to revive this important intellectual tradition in order to enable members of the university community and the society at large to gain a clear understanding of some important public policies and other critical issues that affect our society."
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He further explained the broader role of the university:
"University is not all about classroom learning. There are many things you can learn particularly disciplinary issues through the symposium. So if you don't have this room, it's going to be difficult for students to understand the link between various social sciences disciplines."
He added:
"Today, we are all aware about various socio-economic and political challenges that are affecting our society. So in the environment like that of university, there is need from time to time, we come together and discuss some issues so that we will be better informed about certain actions taken by government. You can particularly remember that the area of monetary policy and other economic issues are issues that are mostly understood by those in the discipline."
As chairperson, Dr. Adama Adamu described the importance of the symposium:
"Today is a day for us in the faculty to understand certain things that directly affect us, but which most of the time, we are not clear about them, especially as laymen, outside of the field of economics."
She also noted:
"I hope the presenter will be able to put it in a way that the layman will understand."
Presenting his paper, Dr. Usman Adamu Bello described Nigeria’s economic situation as:
"less than impressive."
He emphasized inflation as a key issue:
"the most important indicator that shows the manifestation of time inconsistency."
He further noted that food inflation rose
"to about 41% in 2024,"
before declining to
"19%, mostly driven by food imports."
On non-food inflation, he explained:
"that is what affects us the most… the money we have in our pockets… the wages we earn… and the well-being or the cost of living."
The event featured discussions, expert insights, and audience participation, and concluded with a vote of thanks from Dr. Shuaibu Mohammed.