Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria at its creation in 1962 inherited the Engineering program from the Nigeria College of Arts, Science, and Technology, Zaria. The program was re-organized to award degrees in Electrical, Mechanical and Civil Engineering under the auspices of the University of London from 1962 to 1965. Thus, the Faculty of Engineering was born along sides the Departments of Electrical, Mechanical and Civil Engineering and they became fully autonomous in 1965.
For many years after its establishment, the Department of Electrical Engineering, like other Departments in the Faculty, offered a 3–year Bachelor of Engineering degree program. With the adoption of the Student Work Experience Program (SWEP) and the Student Industrial Work Experience Scheme (SIWES), it became imperative for the programs to be changed to 4–year degree programs by the 1981/82 session. By the 1991/92 session, the University adopted the Semester System and now all the degree programs in the Faculty are 5–year bachelor degree (B.Eng) programs.
During the 2010/11 session, the National Universities Commission, after a Resource Assessment exercise approved the change of name of the Department from Electrical Engineering to Electrical Engineering. They subsequently approved the splitting of the Department into the Departments of:
i. Electrical Engineering
ii. Communications Engineering
iii. Electrical Engineering
Out of a desire to properly position the Department of Electrical Engineering, Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria for the challenge of graduate studies in the 21st century with a view to giving our graduates a competitive edge, the Department undertook a comprehensive review of its postgraduate programs leading to the award of PGD, M.Sc. and Ph.D. degrees in various fields of Electrical Engineering.
The mission of the Department is to educate and train undergraduate and postgraduate students in Electrical Engineering who can effectively contribute in the growth of the field of electrical engineering in Nigeria, Africa and the World; to contribute knowledge in the area of Electrical Engineering through conducting research targeted at solving societal and industrial problems; and provide community service through consultancy, entrepreneurship and research projects.
To impart Electrical Engineering and Technology knowledge and skills at all levels to men and women of all races without any distinction on the grounds of race, religious or political beliefs in order to serve the needs of the nation and mankind in general.
The philosophy of the Department is to impart Electrical Engineering and Technology knowledge and skills at all levels to men and women of all races without any distinction on the grounds of race, religious or political beliefs in order to serve the needs of the nation and mankind in general. To be the bedrock of the growth and development of power system and Electrical drives industries in Nigeria, with the capacity to contribute to sustainable economic growth of the country and place it amongst the best in the comity of nations.
The consistency of the Bachelor of Electrical Engineering PEOs with the Vision, Mission and Core Values of Ahmadu Bello University are mapped as follows:
PEO1: By producing trained competent electrical engineers who can add value to various fields of electrical engineering such as power systems, high voltage, industrial drives, renewable energy, control and automation, electronic warfare and defence systems, the Department is contributing to the vision of Ahmadu Bello University in the area of providing an intellectual pool of men and women of all races that are relevant to the needs of Nigeria and the world at large.
PEO2: By actively participating in the innovative development of Nigeria’s knowledge-based electrical engineering products and services using entrepreneurial and multidisciplinary approaches, the Department is contributing to the vision of Ahmadu Bello University in the area of using multidisciplinary approaches in imparting knowledge and to the mission in the area of dissemination of knowledge of the highest quality that will foster national and international development.
PEO3: By producing competent electrical engineers and securing the diffusion of Electrical Engineering knowledge throughout Nigeria and the world at large, the Department is contributing to the mission of Ahmadu Bello University in producing high-level manpower and enhancing capacity-building through retraining to meet the needs of the country and the global community.