Adamu tasks alumni on varsities’ projects financing

Minister of Education, Malam Adamu Adamu, has charged alumni of universities, to support their alma maters financially, through identifying and executing priority-needs projects.

According to him, providing such financial support remains in the first instance, the central objective of establishing such groups locally and internationally.

Speaking in Abuja Tuesday, while receiving members of the newly elected executive council of Conference of Alumni Associations of Nigerian Universities (CAANU), who paid him a courtesy visit in his office, Adamu, in a statement sent to The Guardian from the ministry, pointed out that the Federal Government alone cannot bear the cost of running the nation’s universities.

“The minister and the minister of State for Education, Professor Anthony Anwukah, were unanimous in the call for alumni associations to be alive to their responsibilities, citing the experience in the United States, where alumni associations are the greatest pillars of financial support for the universities.

To this end, the duo enjoined CAANU to work closely with university authorities with a view to identifying the priority needs of institutions, which the association can address,” the statement read.

National chairman of the association, who doubles as President of the Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria Alumni Association, Dr. Ahmed Tijjani, in his remarks, said the new executive deemed it necessary to visit the ministers and other key actors in the sector as a starting point for the sector-wide consultation.

Tijjani said that the association would soon embark on a massive membership drive among Nigerian universities, through the formation of alumni associations in each of the institutions.

He added that resource mobilisation from high net-worth members, would be vigorously pursued in order that such would be used to augment effective learning, teaching, research and community services by the universities.

Dr. Tijjani noted that though the association had been in existence since 2007, many potential members had exhibited reluctance to join and participate actively in the past.

He therefore, appealed to the minister to facilitate membership of an alumni member on boards of universities to ease linkages.