Buhari completes Transport University in his hometown, to begin academic activities September
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President Muhammadu Buhari has completed one of his landmark projects, the University of Transportation located in his hometown, Daura in Katsina State, barely two years and nine months after take-off of the project.
Barring any change in plans, the Federal Government said the newly established Transport University will commence academic activities in September, 2022.
The Minister of Transportation, Mr Mu’azu Sambo, disclosed this during an inspection visit to the university on Thursday in Daura.
The minister, while inspecting the University project, added that the work which started a year ago is now at 60 per cent completion level.
Sambo said: “The company handling the project as a corporate social responsibility intends to hand over and commence the academic session in September this year.
“They have, however, asked for additional time to complete the project due to some circumstances.
“I have asked the consultant to meet the engineers and review how they can at least complete phase one of the project so that the academic session can begin.”
In the same vein, the Permanent Secretary in the ministry, Dr Magdaline Ajani, said the University when completed would be run by the Chinese government for two years.
“And it will be taken over by the Federal Ministry of Education afterwards.
“The management will run the university pending all the necessary approvals from the Federal Ministry of Education,” she said.
Ajani further explained that the National Universities Commission (NUC) would provide the necessary regulations like any other tertiary education system in the country.
The site of the Transport University in Buhari’s hometown has been condemned by an analyst with News Band, who spoke on condition of anonymity, as nepotistic as it is just one of the many federal projects the president located in his Daura hometown.
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He said: “President Buhari’s administration is not a great fan of educational policies but eagerly completed the university in so short a time.
“Buhari is concentrating effort on the project leading to its inauguration after just three years of construction but ignored the yearnings of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU).
“As we all know, ASUU has been on strike since February 14, 2022, but he completed the institution in just three years evidently because it is located in his hometown.”
It could also be recalled that the then Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, on August 23, 2019, just three years ago, fixed the groundbreaking of the university for September same year.
Three years after, the University is about to commence academic activities.
Praising the then newly conceived university, which will be the first in Africa, Buhari said it will provide technical skills, enhance managerial capacity and pave way for innovation in Nigeria’s transport system, while creating more job opportunities.
Speaking at ground-breaking ceremony of the pioneer University on December 3, 2019, the President noted that the transport sector was in dire need of new thinking, skills and investment, assuring that the university will open up opportunities for economic growth.
