Kudos, Ya’u Idris

Ihe reappointment of Dr Yau Usman Idris as the director of Nigeria Nuclear Regulatory Authority for the second term by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu did not come to us as a surprise. Since his appointment by the immediate past administration of Muhammadu Buhari in 2019, Dr Idris, has been transforming the agency to the best of his ability. His first tenure in the agency witnessed various innovative policies and strategies geared towards accelerating nuclear programs that will keep the country at same pace with its contemporaries. Idris efforts led the agency to secure €1milion grant from the European Union (EU) for the implementation of an international nuclear safety cooperation project for the safe management of radioactive waste in Nigeria. Nigeria has been granted a significant opportunity.

This opportunity arose after the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) confirmed that Nigeria has established a robust system for nuclear safety and security.

Yau Idris, an experienced nuclear regulator and radiation protection expert, is a pioneer staff of NNRA. He joined the agency in 2004 as chief regulatory officer and rose to the rank of director. He has a PhD in Applied Nuclear Physics from the Ahmadu Bello University Zaria, M.Sc. Physics from the University of Ibadan and B.Sc. Physics from the University of Maiduguri. Before he joined NNRA, he served as commissioner for environment and natural resources, Kaduna State. He was lecturer/researcher in physics in Ahmadu Bello University and University of Maiduguri for 15 years. Currently, Dr Idris is chairman, African Commission on Nuclear Energy (AFCONE), Bureau of Conference of States Parties, acting chairman, Forum of Nuclear Regulatory Bodies in Africa (FNRBA), having served as vice chairman and secretary of the Forum. He is advisory board member, Africa Nuclear Business Platform (AFNBP) and board chairman, Nigerian Association of Medical Physicists (NAMP).

Sufiyanu Abdul Ishaq, Kauru, Kaduna State