Thursday, 28th March 2024
To guardian.ng
Search

NLNG justifies grants to UNILORIN

By Abiodun Fagbemi, Ilorin
06 July 2015   |   11:26 pm
THE Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of the Nigeria Liquefied Natural Gas Limited (NLNG), Babs Omotowa, has explained said that the sustained commitment of the University of Ilorin to excellence was responsible for its choice as one of the six beneficiaries of the company’s University support initiative. Omotowa spoke through the company’s General Manager, External Affairs, Dr.…
University of Ilorin

University of Ilorin

THE Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of the Nigeria Liquefied Natural Gas Limited (NLNG), Babs Omotowa, has explained said that the sustained commitment of the University of Ilorin to excellence was responsible for its choice as one of the six beneficiaries of the company’s University support initiative.

Omotowa spoke through the company’s General Manager, External Affairs, Dr. Kudo Eresia-Eke, during a visit to the University.

Recently, six Nigerian universities were selected across the country, on a competitive basis, for the NLNG’s $12 million grant to build world class engineering research centres.

The University of Ilorin got the North-Central slot. The others are: the University of Ibadan (South West); the University of Port Harcourt (South South); the University of Maiduguri (North East); Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria (North West); and the University of Nigeria, Nsukka (South East.)
 
According to Eresia-Eke, the NLNG team was in Unilorin to track the progress of work on the research centre and to hold a technical meeting with the Unilorin team on the likely completion and commissioning dates for the project.

The representative of the Manager of the NLNG noted that the Education Intervention Fund was part of the company’s contributions to the building of a better Nigeria through the advancement of Science and Engineering.

Stressing that the NLNG is committed to helping to build a better Nigeria, Eresia-Eke said, “There is no better way to develop Nigeria than to invest in education”, adding “ that is why our footprint in education is very large. We have also invested in Literature and Science with the NLNG Nigeria Prize for Literature and Science respectively”.

Giving his general impression about the University, the representative of the NLNG Managing Director said, “The University is beautiful; it has good maintenance culture and fine leadership”.

In his remarks, the Vice-Chancellor, Prof. AbdulGaniyu Ambali thanked the NLNG for the intervention granted to build a world class research centre in the University.

Believing that education is not the sole responsibility of the government, Ambali said that the private sector needs to contribute its quota.

He, however, called on other players in the private sector to emulate the NLNG, whose intervention in the infrastructural development of universities in the country, would help to increase access to qualitative and quantitative education.

He disclosed that the University of Ilorin is the most patronized University in the country with over 107,000 candidates seeking admission into the University for the 2015/2016 academic sessions. He noted that the University would be able to increase the number of students to be admitted with interventions like the one by the NLNG.

Ambali expressed appreciation to the company for helping to improve access to education in Nigeria.
He said, “Your Managing Director is performing excellently. Unilorin is a place worth investing in as we make the best of resources we get for the benefit of humanity.”

Besides, Ambali intimated the company with the University’s interest in the stem cell research, explaining that solution must be found for stem cell problems such as sickle cell.

He disclosed that the University had completed architectural drawings for a stem cell research centre and called on the NLNG to support the University on the proposed stem cell research centre.

The Don later conducted the NLNG team round the site of the Engineering Research Laboratory, which is at about 70 percent completion stage. At the construction site, the representative of the NLNG Managing Director described the work done as “impressive” and the building as “first class”.

Also on the NLNG team were Manager, Corporate Communication, Tony Okonedo, Mr. Philip Afolami, and Mr. Elkanah Chawai.

0 Comments