The President and founder of Dangote Foundation, Aliko Dangote, has set aside N200 billion to establish a world-class university in Abuja and the proposal for it has since been delivered to the National Universities Commission, NUC.

Leading the technical team for the establishment of the university is a former Executive Secretary of the NUC, Julius Okojie. Okojie who led his team on a courtesy visit to the current executive secretary of the commission, Abubakar Rasheed said the university intends to drive technology and research in stimulating economic growth and asked for the co operation of the NUC towards the realisation of the goal.

Mr. Rasheed, who applauded the bold step, promised to offer all the needed assistance for the success of the project. He, however, advised the team to reconsider its plan of establishing a university of technology to ‘a conventional university running all programmes but with specialty in the area of technology.’

The executive secretary, who underscored the advantages of the conventional university over the special one, said with the countless impacts on society by the business mogul, the project would be a success. He asked the team to consult widely and look at the universities in Nigeria and abroad with a view to creating a unique university that would be different in terms of quality in all its operations.

In her remarks, Mrs. Yousouffou said the Dangote foundation was ready to make the dream a reality with the sum of N200 billion already earmarked for the project. She said the land was purchased and preliminary measures were in place for the headquarters of the university at the nation’s capital city of Abuja.

Premium Times