On Saturday, Vice President Kashim Shettima inaugurated the Abdul Samad Rabiu Centre for Innovation and Entrepreneurship at the University of Maiduguri, Borno State. Constructed at a cost of N1 billion, the center was generously donated to the university by the Abdul Samad Rabiu Africa Initiative. Its purpose is to accelerate the growth and development of innovation and entrepreneurship among students and researchers.
During the university’s 24th combined convocation, both Shettima and Abdul Samad Rabiu were honored with honorary doctorate degrees. Representing President Bola Tinubu, the university’s visitor, VP Shettima officially commissioned the center, highlighting its alignment with the Renewed Hope Agenda for the economy’s rapid revitalization and prosperity. He urged other affluent individuals and corporations to emulate this philanthropic gesture by contributing similar facilities.
Abdul Samad Rabiu, the Chairman of BUA Group, emphasized that the initiative was part of their corporate social responsibility to drive economic growth and development in the country.
The Vice-Chancellor of the university, Prof. Aliyu Shugaba, underscored the significance of the center, stating that it addresses the university’s priority in entrepreneurial training. He noted the center’s dual role in providing an appropriate structure for entrepreneurial education and catalyzing a much-needed shift in entrepreneurial learning.
Expressing regret that previous efforts hadn’t resulted in graduates creating enterprises, Shugaba expressed optimism that the Abdul Samad Centre would rectify this and cultivate a robust innovation and entrepreneurial ecosystem, fostering creativity, collaboration, and experimentation. He anticipated the center to serve as a launchpad for individuals to develop new ventures, thereby contributing to both social and economic growth.
Shugaba envisioned the center’s future products leading to self-employment opportunities, emphasizing its potential to generate enterprises from within.