The Department of Geology in Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria was established in 1967, during the tenure of Alexander as the Vice-Chancellor and Harris as the Dean of Faculty of Science by the act of the University Senate. The Department started with 3 offices in the Department of Physics within the Middle Block occupied by Physics/Mathematics and a laboratory on the ground floor of the eastern block then occupied by Departments of Architecture and Geography. All the blocks inherited by the northern Nigerian College of Arts and Science.
In 1970/1971, a block of offices adjacent to the eastern block occupied by Departments of Architecture and Geography was erected with assistance from the Polish Government. The Department then left the offices in the Physics Department and subsequently expanded more on the ground floor of the eastern block especially when the university bindery section on the ground floor was relocated. Today, the Department is expanding into a new block being built through the Presidential 2016 NEEDS Assessment under TETFUND.
The Department started with a well equipped Microscope Room and a Thin-Section laboratory and later developed the sedimentological and geochemistry laboratories. The Department was well equipped with analytical equipment such as the Differential Thermal Analysis which was donated by the government of Hungary. The Scanning Electron Microscope, X-Ray Diffraction were managed by P. K. Webb and Michael Pearson, Dr. C. O. Okujeni and later the SEM was managed by and XRD by Alexochive and AAS by Samuel Edegbo was in charge of the Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometer. With all these in place the Department was competitive with any other Department of Geology globally. The Department also kept a museum along corridors of its new building which has recently been transferred to the ground floor of the now Geography/Geology block.
The Department aims to break new ground in the Earth Sciences through research and the dissemination of knowledge of the highest quality; to establish and foster national and international collaboration in the various fields of geology in order to produce skilled geologists that can fit as professionals in the Solid minerals, Petroleum, Water, Construction and Environmental sub-sectors that meet the needs of Nigeria and the rest of the world for growth and development.
To produce skilled man-power in the field of Geology for national growth and development.
To be a world class department comparable to any other in its area of specialisation, impacting contemporary knwoledge using high quality facilities and multidisciplinary approaches to men and women of all races as well as generating new ideas and intellectual practices relevant to the needs its community, Nigeria and the world at large.
The department shares the overall philisophy of Ahmadu Bello University. It exist to impact and develop knowledge in the earth science to men and women regardless of age, religion, nationality and ethnic background, and specifically concentrates on its area of specialisation. It exist to advance the frontiers of learning and to break new ground in earth science through teaching, research and dissemination of knowledge of the highest quality to establish and foster national and international integration, to produce high level man-power and to enhance capacity building through training and retraining in order to meet the needs of the catchment area, Nigeria and the rest of the world.