Abba Isa Tijani (M.A., PhD (UCL)) was appointed by the President of Nigeria, Muhammad Buhari as the Director General of the National Commission for Museums and Monuments of Nigeria with effect from 1st September 2020 (the 7th Indigenous Substantive Director-General/ CEO). Until his appointment, he was the Ag. Director of the Centre for the Study and Promotion of Cultural Sustainability, University of Maiduguri. While at the Centre, Prof. Tijani was the Executive Board of Director and Head (Nigeria) of DAAD-Funded Project SDG Graduate School “Performing Sustainability: Cultures and Development in West Africa.” The Project, which is ongoing, is a collaboration between the Universities of Hildesheim (Germany), Cape Coast (Ghana) and University of Maiduguri. Prof. Tijani served as the Head of Department of Creative Arts as well as that of Fine Arts of the University of Maiduguri. He was promoted to Professor of Anthropology and Museology in October 2017. He has attended and presented papers in many conferences, seminars and workshops globally and published widely.

As Chief Executive, he sits on a Commission that manages 54 National Museums, 65 National Monuments and 2 World Heritage Sites. Having met some of them at various stages of deterioration, Prof Tijani has so far renovated and upgraded 17 of these Museums to international standards while works are ongoing on many others. An enthusiastic broker of synergies, he has midwifed scores of collaborations and partnerships from which the Commission is presently benefiting locally and Internationally. His ongoing tenure as Director-General has recorded multi dimensional improvement both in facilities and human capacity development at the Nigerian National Commission for Museums & Monuments. He has led and been in the forefront of successful discussions and negotiations for the return of Nigerian cultural artefacts from various parts of the world, a feat which has received wide commendation both Nationally and Internationally.