By Muhammad Ibrahim
Abdul Samad Rabiu Africa Initiative (ASR Africa Initiative) has donated one billion naira to Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria for infrastructural development.
This announcement was made on Thursday, 25th March, 2021 in Zaria when Dr Aliyu Idi Hong, representative of the founder of the ASR Africa Initiative, Alhaji Abdul Samad Rabiu, visited the sites identified for the two projects.
The university secured the money to be used for the reconstruction of Danfodio students hostel and the department of building at site II of the university.
Rabiu represented by Hong who is a former Minister of State for Health and an ABU alumnus, stated that they were in ABU essentially in response to the visit made by the Vice-Chancellor, Prof Kabir Bala to the founder of the ASR Africa Initiative, Alhaji Abdul Samad Rabiu sometimes back in Abuja in seek of his support for some projects.
He also further said that the initiative was not only expected to support various interventions in Nigeria but also across Africa covering education, health and social development.
According to Mr. Hong, also a Director in charge of Inter-Governmental Affairs at BUA Group, said that “ABU is the first beneficiary in the flag-off of this intervention.”
He said that they were “pleased to know that the areas needed for intervention in the university had already been specified.”
He added that the initiative was launched to support sustainable development initiatives in health, education and socio-economic sectors, with 50 million dollars set aside for Nigeria and another 50 million dollars for the rest of Africa every year.
Other universities to benefit from the inteervention across the other geo-political zones in Nigeria are University of Nigeria, Nsukka; University of Maiduguri; University of Ilorin; University of Ibadan, and University of Benin.
The three-member team of the ASR Africa Initiative led by Dr Aliyu Idi Hong
were also at the sites at Danfodio students hostel and site II by the Vice-Chancellor and other management members of the University.
The team was later presented with the site plans for the two projects.
The Vice-Chancellor, Prof Kabir Bala, expressed his appreciation on behalf of the institution’s to the founder of the ASR Africa Initiative, Alhaji Abdul Samad Rabiu for the grant.
