The chairman of the Dangote Foundation, Aliko Dangote, weekend commissioned N1.2 billion students’ hostel that the foundation constructed and donated to the Ahmadu Bello University (ABU), Zaria.
The ceremony, which was part of the 41st convocation of the university, puts smile on the faces of students who were hitherto faced with acute shortage of hostel accommodation.
Speaking, Dangote said the project was initiated during his visit to the university to attend the 2016 convocation ceremony where he served as Guest Speaker.
He added: “The Vice Chancellor then told me that they have needs for accommodation; in fact the last accommodation they had was 37 years ago as at then. It is not good for us to leave a university like this without accommodation. Really, our intention was to accommodate the female students not boys. However, I still plead with the Vice Chancellor to leave it for the female folk. Because of the luxury of this place, it is better to give it to the girls; boys can manage anywhere.
“May be we need to have discussion to see how we help in terms of transporting them to and fro. If you bring the boys here, I will really be in trouble with my daughters. You know I have only three daughters, so they will like to have the ladies here.”
He urged wealthy Nigerians to always give back to Nigeria as a way of showing gratitude to their nation, saying that ABU is a unique institution largely because it was named after one of the “revered patriots, Sir Ahmadu Bello Sardauna.”
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