The Department of Geography is guided by the objectives of the Federal University of Technology, Minna, which is committed to producing skilled and highly qualified manpower for both national development and the global community. In pursuit of this mission, the Department offers undergraduate and postgraduate programmes designed to produce applied geographers equipped to address the complex challenges arising from resource depletion in an increasingly urbanised and interconnected world. To this end, the Department provides degree specialisations in Applied Remote Sensing and Meteorology.
Central to the Department’s academic philosophy is the application of geographical methods to the systematic study of the interrelationships among the physical environment, the economy, and the structure of society. This is examined within the context of dynamic and evolving conditions across spatial scales, from the local to the global with the aim of generating knowledge and solutions relevant to contemporary environmental and socio-economic challenges.
The Department of Geography was established in 1983 as one of the pioneer departments of the Federal University of Technology, Minna. In 1985, three degree specialisation options were introduced: Meteorology (MET), Remote Sensing Applications (REM), and Urban and Regional Planning (URP). Following the graduation of two cohorts of students, the URP option was elevated to the status of a fully-fledged department within the School of Environmental Technology in 1990. Notably, the Department of Urban and Regional Planning now counts among its academic staff several faculty members who obtained their postgraduate degrees at both Masters and Doctoral levels from this Department.
Postgraduate programmes in Meteorology and Remote Sensing Applications were introduced in 1992, and a Postgraduate Diploma as well as a Master of Technology in Environmental Management were subsequently introduced in 2005. The Department has been producing doctoral graduates since 1996. Over the decades, the academic staff strength has grown steadily, from five members in 1986 to seventeen full-time departmental staff members at present.
The first pioneer Head of Department (HOD) was Prof. G. N. Nsofor, who served from 1983 to 1986. He was succeeded by Prof. A. S. Abubakar (2009–2012), Prof. A. A. Okhimamhe (2012–2014), Prof. Aishetu Abdulkadir (2014–2019), Prof. Mairo Muhammed (2019–2023), and the late Prof. Suleiman Y. Mohammed (2023–2024). The department is currently headed by Prof. Yahaya Tayo Iyanda, who has been serving since 2024 to date.
Vision
The vision is to become a reputable department that provides high quality teaching and research using state-of-the-art technologies including Information and Communication Technology (ICT) at higher level on the Science of Geography, Meteorology, Remote Sensing Application and Environmental Management.
Mission
The mission is to provide world class training on the use of Geography, Meteorology, Remote Sensing Application and Environmental Management, in order to solve environmental problems, as well as uplift the University’s image both nationally and internationally, as a Centre of Excellence in training of qualified personnel at both undergraduate and postgraduate levels
Geography is the study of places and the relationships between people and their environments. Geographers explore both the physical properties of Earth’s surface and the human societies spread across it.
A field of study where weather data, analyses, and forecasts are put to practical use.
Environmental management is a systematic approach to finding practical ways for saving water, energy, and materials, and reducing negative environmental impacts.
Remote sensing is the process of detecting and monitoring the physical characteristics of an area by measuring its reflected and emitted radiation at a distance (typically from satellite or aircraft).
