Abdul Samad Rabiu donates N1bn to University of Ibadan

Abdul Samad Rabiu, founder of BUA Group, has donated the sum of N1 billion to the University of Ibadan in Oyo state, through the Abdul Samad Rabiu Africa Initiative (ASR Africa).

The donation, which is part of the ASR Africa’s tertiary education grants scheme, comes weeks after a similar donation was made to the Ahmadu Bello University (ABU) in Zaria, Kaduna state, for the provision of accommodation facilities for students and a faculty building in the institution.

In a statement on Thursday, Rabiu, chairman of ASR Africa who was represented by Aliyu Idi Hong, said six universities across Nigeria will benefit from the funds, as part of efforts to contribute towards improving research that will engender sustainable development.

“We are committing 100million dollars annually for social development, health and education intervention in Nigeria and Africa through the ASR Africa Initiative. Of this amount, 50million dollars is being committed to Nigeria and another $50million for the rest of Africa,” he said.

“As part of the initiative’s Tertiary Education Grants Scheme, N1billion each has been allocated to 6 universities across Nigeria. Subsequently, more interventions will be done in the areas of health and social development.”

Accepting the donation on behalf of the university, Adebola Ekanola, acting vice-chancellor of UI, thanked Rabiu and ASR Africa for the gesture, adding that the fund will be geared towards improving the institution’s capacity.

“This is an important intervention for the University of Ibadan. It will meet some of our most pressing needs, which will also impact on our capacity to achieve the core objectives of the University of Ibadan,” Ekanola was quoted to have said.

“We believe that these projects we are proposing for the grant sponsorship will empower the University of Ibadan to be more efficient and effective in teaching, research and community services. It will also empower us to train our students in ways that would make them to be globally competitive.

“This initiative will go a long way in revamping our educational sector in Nigeria with specific reference to the university system in the country.”

The ASR Africa initiative, which focuses on education, health and social development in Africa, is geared towards “equipping facilities, researchers, healthcare practitioners and community-level service providers, and also supporting the efforts of various governments in Nigeria and sub-Saharan Africa”.