Nigerian mega-entrepreneur cum billionaire, Alhaji Aliko Dango, who owns the Dangote Group, which has interests in diverse commodities, has earmarked billions of Naira to establish new university in the country.
A former Executive Secretary of the National Universities Commission (NUC), Julius Okojie, has announced on Wednesday that multi-billionaire businessman and founder of Dangote Foundation, Aliko Dangote, has set aside N200 billion to establish a world-class university in Abuja.
According to Premium Times, Okojie, who is the chairman of the technical team for the establishment of the university, said the foundation intends to drive technology and research in stimulating economic growth, adding that 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.
A National Open University of Nigeria, NOUN, publication, the team, accompanied by the Chief Executive Officer, CEO of the foundation, Zouera Yousouffou, disclosed that Dangote’s desire was 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, 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.
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, adding that the land was purchased and preliminary measures were in place for the headquarters of the university at the nation’s capital city of Abuja.
