Senator Abdullah Adamu, a former National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress, has said that he established a university to fulfil his dream of making quality education accessible to rural dwellers.
Senator Adamu is the proprietor of Phoenix University, Agwada, Kokona Local Government Nasarawa State.
He spoke when the management of the university took traditional rulers from the state on a guided tour of its facilities on Tuesday.
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He said the establishment of the university in a rural setting was part of giving back to the society, thereby contributing his personal quota to the educational development of underprivileged people.
The former governor of Nasarawa State noted that the majority of the country’s population reside in rural communities whereas most universities were situated in urban centres and beyond the reach of many people.
“My motivation to establish the university is not to make money, but to see what impact I and my team can make in education, to change the fortune and lives of our children and those yet unborn,” he said.
He pointed out that the location of university was deliberately chosen to give opportunity to rulers dwellers who have been finding it difficult to acquire western education.
Adamu added: “My father was born here in Agwada, and through the instrumentality of administration, he was taken to Keffi, where he acquired education, married my mother and gave birth to me.
“I did not know Agwada until I was 17 years old.
“My father later returned here (Agwada) to work because no teacher could stay due to the primitive nature of the place.
“The establishment of the university is not just in memory of my father but also to give these children (in rural communities) the opportunity to come and learn.”
Adamu appreciated the traditional rulers for the visit to the institution and urged them to own it as part of their collective project.
Speaking after the tour of facilities, Dr. Shehu Yamusa III, the Emir of Keffi, who led the delegation, commended the founder of the university for the foresight and huge investment in education for the benefit of children and future generations.
Yamusa expressed delight with the state-of-the-art facilities provided in the university with particular emphasis on the Robotics and Artificial Intelligence laboratories, which he said was the way to go in keeping with advancement in technology globally.
The royal father, however, urged the management of the University to consider beefing up security around the institution given the security challenges facing the country.
He assured that the traditional rulers will always do their best to support the growth of the university in order to meet the objective of its establishment.
On his part, the pioneer Vice Chancellor of the University, Prof. Abdullahi Bala, said that arrangements had been concluded to begin academic activities for the 2023/2024 session in March 2024.
Bala said: “To qualify for admission into Phoenix University, all candidates are expected to meet the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board minimum cut-off mark of 140 and possess five credit passes in relevant subjects, including Mathematics and English in the Senior School Certificate Examination at not more than two sittings.”
