The Group President of the Dangote Industries Limited (DIL), Aliko Dangote, has donated N15 billion to the Aliko Dangote University of Science and Technology (ADUSTECH), Wudil, Kano State.
Dangote, made the donation on Saturday while speaking at the
5th combined convocation ceremony of the University
Dangote who is also the Chairman of the Aliko Dangote Foundation (ADF) was recently reappointed the Chancellor of the University.
He said the University must be repositioned to lead the race of producing cutting edge research and highly skilled manpower that meets the requirements of market demands, industries and real problem solvers in the Nigerian society.
Dangote said : “It is in this vein that I wish to use this opportunity to announce the launch of the 5-year Development plan which I envision for this institution.
“Over the next 5 years, we will commit the sum of N15 billion to the following projects: the design and construction of additional student hostels; the design and construction of a world class Engineering Lab; the design and construction of a world class multipurpose computer lab -open to all students of the institution which will also be equipped with 24-hour internet access to support academic research and the installation of a mini-solar plant to support access to power on campus.
“We will also undertake to design and construct a befitting Senate building that will house the administration of this institution.
“Finally, we will also reserve post-NYSC employment slots for the best performing graduates in Engineering and other related courses that form part of our areas of interest at the Dangote Petroleum Refinery and Petrochemical Plant and Dangote Cement Plants.”
According to Dangote, the funding for such an institution places a significant burden on the government, which is why, through the Aliko Dangote Foundation, it was able to offset the University’s electricity bill to ease the strain on their finances.
“Additionally, to support the infrastructural drive of the University, we built two blocks of Male and Female Hostels with 500 bed spaces each.
“We also ensured the availability of electricity in a specialized University like ours for continuous teaching, learning and research, via the connection of the University to a 33KVA line, and provided a 2.5 MVA transformer and six (6) step-down transformers.
“This, I believe, has gone a long way in solving the energy needs of the University.”
He therefore congratulated the vision of those who dreamt of the institution 25 years ago.
Dangote said : “An institution that began with a student population of 88, today has a population of more than 21,877 students and this combined convocation has a total of about 18,000 graduates.
“This is indeed a milestone.”
In his address, Governor Abba Kabiru Yusuf of Kano State commended Dangote for contributing financially and morally towards the development of the University,.
He said : “All of us will continue to remember you as a visionary and African illustrious industrialist.”
The University’s Vice Chancellor, Prof. Musa Tukur Yakasai said 18,000 students were being celebrated during the convocation ceremony, having graduated from the university in the last ten years to date.
Business mogul Chief Arthur Eze, founder of Max Air, Alhaji Dahiru Barau Mangal, Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Ahmad Adeniyi Raji, and oil magnate and founder of Amasco Oil Al-Mustapha Ado were awarded honorary doctorate degrees during the ceremony.
The Vice Chancellor said the university has recorded significant strides in its academic journey to greater heights, including program accreditation and a mathematical digital model designed by a university product, Mahmoud Mubarak, for measuring deforestation density.
(vitalnewsngr.com)
