Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Malam Muhammad Musa Bello has called on ex students of the nation’s universities to participate more actively in the funding of the universities in the country to improve the overall standard of these schools
The Minister who spoke when he received the Alumni Association of the Ahmadu Bello University (ABU) Zaria, led by the President, Professor Ahmed Tijani Mora, said that it is no longer fashionable for tertiary institutions to continue to rely on Federal Government alone for their funding as there are too many demand competing for the lean resources of government.
Mohammed Bello advised Alumni associations to engage in making a lot of initiatives to measure up to the standards set by other intentionally renowned universities, to ensure that universities in the country continue to function well.
“We do know that many of the internationally renowned universities in the world basically, are now being run by funds from investments and more importantly also, funds from their Alumni associations. Usually, it is these funds that were used to provide the initial investments that keep the universities running. Any country, especially in the western world that you speak of, you will be able to identify one or two universities where the alumni associations are very strong.”
Mohammed Bello said that the country could benefit from the huge remittances that Nigerians make to Alumni associations of foreign universities and advised Nigerians to showed concern for the welfare of schools.
The FCT Minister praised the current ABU Alumni Association for the numerous capital projects it has embarked upon which he said would not have been possible without a strong leadership.
“That sustainability will not be possible if we don’t have an Executive Council (EXCO) that is very strong like your own and probably also, in addition to the exco, having a crop of full time highly paid, highly dedicated staff to run the administration of the secretariat. There is no doubt that the current exco of the Alumni association will be able to build on the great work done by the previous exco as well as the other previous leadership of the Alumni association.”
This was as the President of the Ahmadu Bello University Alumni Association, Professor Ahmed Tijani Mora, said the Alumni Association is the largest with over 800,000 students.
He listed four major projects that the current NEC of the association is carrying out, including an overhead pedestrian bridge at the North Gate, ABU, across the busy Zaria-Sokoto Highway, which would cost N80 million.
Other projects he said, include a laptop computer loan scheme for students, post graduate students’ hostel as well as the intra-city-bus shuttle service for students to begin initially with five number, 33-seater buses.
Prof. Mora said the members of the Association in the FCT and anywhere in Nigeria and the diaspora were ready and would be willing to bring their skills, expertise and competences in the services of the FCT to make it great and most beautiful and safe place to live. [myad]
