The president and founder of Dangote Foundation, Aliko Dangote, has earmarked aside N200 billion to establish a world-class university in Abuja.
Former Executive Secretary of the NUC, Julius Okojie, is the chairman of the technical team for the establishment of the university.
Okojie, who led his team to the NUC Executive Secretary, Abubakar Rasheed, said the proposed university is meant to be technology-driven and asked for the cooperation and support of the NUC towards the realisation of the goal.
The National Open University of Nigeria, NOUN, in a bulletin, said the team, accompanied by the Chief Executive Officer of the Dangote Foundation, Zouera Yousouffou, disclosed the desire of Africa’s richest man to float a unique university of technology with all the necessary infrastructure and best faculty members from across the globe.
Rasheed, who applauded the bold step, promised to offer all the needed assistance for the success of the project.
He 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 NUC boss urged 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.
Yousouffou said the 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.
Thank you DANGOTE. This is definitely a worthy cause and should be encouraged by government. However, my question in respect of the land for the project is: Is the land purchased from government or the communal land owners?