Dangote donates multi-billion naira 2,160 bed space hostels to ABU

Motolani Oseni

As part of his contribution to the educational development in the country, the Chairman of Aliko Dangote Foundation, Alhaji Aliko Dangote has made another critical intervention in the educational sector with donation of fully equipped 2,160 bed space hostel complex to the Ahmadu Bello University Zaria.

The Foundation at the weekend explained that the students’ halls of residence comprising of 10 blocks of 360 rooms built at a colossal sum of N1.2billion is coming after similar gestures to Bayero University, Kano and University of Ibadan, where the business mogul donated multi-billion Naira business school complexes respectively as part of his contribution to the educational development in the country.

The new students’ hall of residence was commissioned to commemorate the 41st convocation of the University during which the university authorities reciprocated the act of philanthropy by conferring on him and the renowned labour leader, Hassan Sumonu, honourary Doctorate Degree. Also, 15,787 graduating students were also awarded various degrees.

The President of Dangote Group on the occasion explained that he was moved to build the structure having realized that the student population at the universities have recorded a significant increase without a corresponding growth in terms of infrastructure lamenting that the situation has remained a subsisting and growing major challenge as Nigerian public universities continue to grapple with underfunding.

“Thus, I will like to use this opportunity to enjoin the Federal Government to consider allocating special funds to the universities to enable them to improve on research and upgrade their infrastructure. Such special intervention has become an imperative is given the perennial funding challenges facing our universities”, he stated.

Dangote posited that the Federal Government alone could not shoulder the entire burden of funding tertiary education due to the competing needs of other sectors that also demand priority attention. This is where Public Private Partnership (PPP) can and should come in to fill the gap.

He then enjoined the private sector to adopt a new approach towards supporting the federal government in tackling the funding the deficit in the higher institutions of learning.

“If there are two things that I am passionate about, they are education and entrepreneurship. I believe they go hand in hand. Some years ago, as Chairman of the National Committee on Job Creation, my committee strived to fashion out strategies for integrating entrepreneurship into our national educational curriculum, in line with what obtains in the Western world.

While expressing his gratitude on the award conferred on him, Alhaji Dangote described ABU as “an institution famed for its incredibly thorough academic tradition, the quality of faculty, and the enriching experiences of life within its walls.

Today, the university has lived to its billing as a melting pot for ideologies by honouring a renowned socialist and champion of employees’ rights, Alhaji Hassan Sunmonu and Myself, for being a leading capitalist and investor in employment generating enterprises.”

Dangote noted that “It is also with a deep sense of the fulfilment that today’s occasion is also being used for the commissioning of 10 blocks of student hostels which consist of 360 fully equipped rooms with capacity for housing 2160 students, built at a cost of N1.2 billion donated by the Aliko Dangote Foundation to Ahmadu Bello University, (ABU) Zaria.”

Commending Dangote, Governor Nasiru El-Rufai of Kaduna State who officially opened the hostel said Mr Dangote’s philanthropic the spirit should be emulated by others who have been blessed by God.

A visibly elated Governor, who is an alumnus of the University, said both the government and the private sector can partner to lift the educational sector in Nigeria pointing out that if not for the efforts of the university management, the institution was already dying.

The Vice-Chancellor, Professor Ibrahim Garba who was very excited at the magnitude of the structures said the University is the largest in West Africa and described the Aliko Dangote hostel project as a “big relief,” saying lack of adequate accommodation is one of the nightmares of the university.