The Abdul Samad Rabiu Africa Initiative (ASR Africa) has commenced the construction of a 2,000-square-meters Career and Renewable Natural Resources Centre at the University of Ibadan (UI).
It said the centre will provide counseling and career support to students of the university and explore the potential of cleaner energy solutions for the institution.
The initiative comes barely three days after the groundbreaking of a Student Affairs Centre, comprising a sports centre, Information and Communication Technology hub, administrative offices, and a 1,000-student capacity amphitheatre at the Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Anambra State by ASR Africa, according to a statement on Sunday.
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It said both projects, drawing from the N1 billion grant to the university, are in fulfillment of the tertiary infrastructure grant awarded to six universities in 2021 as part of the ASR Africa Tertiary Education Grants Scheme.
It said the grant was drawn from ASR Africa’s $100 million Fund for Social Development and Renewal. Other universities that benefitted from the grant were the University of Maiduguri, Ahmadu Bello University Zaria, the University of Ilorin, the University of Benin, and Nnamdi Azikiwe University, the statement added.
Speaking at the groundbreaking ceremony in Ibadan, Oyo State, Ubon Udoh, managing director of ASR Africa, thanked the university management for its cooperation on the project implementation.
He described the project as “life-changing”, saying it will address diverse mental health issues among students, nurture students in their career path and provide cleaner energy solutions for the university’s use.
According to him, the project affirms the commitment of Abdul Samad Rabiu, founder and chairman of ASR Africa, to supporting quality education within the tertiary education system in Nigeria and Africa at large.
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Udoh said the project would further boost the morale of the students to compete academically with their peers outside the country.
“I want to on behalf of Abdul Samad Rabiu thank the university management for the cooperation and partnership they have shown us so far. I want to assure you of growing this partnership and looking forward to better things to come,” he said.
Kayode Adebowale, the university’s vice chancellor, thanked Rabiu for the project.
Adebowale said the project is of great importance to the university, as it will address students’ needs for counseling and career mentorship and pave the way for research on alternative energy.
He assured the ASR Africa team of the
management’s support to ensure the speedy completion of the project.
