Africa’s richest man, Aliko Dangote, has donated students’ hostel worth N1.2 billion to Ahmadu Bello University (ABU), Zaria.
The hostel which consists of 10 blocks would be able to hold 2,160 students.
Dangote’s donation comes after about 37 years of no additional hostel for students.
During the inauguration of the project at the ABU Phase II site, Dangote said he remembered that the university authorities complained of accommodation constraints when he visited the institution as guest speaker of 2016 convocation ceremony.
“It is not good for us to leave a university like this without accommodation, really our intention was to accommodate the female students not boys, however, I still plead with the Vice-Chancellor to leave it for the female folk.
“Because of the luxury of this place, it is better to give it to the girls, boys can manage anywhere, may be we need to have discussion to see how we help in terms of transporting them to and fro.
“If you bring the boys here, I will really be in trouble with my daughters, you know I have only three daughters, so they will like to have the ladies here,” he said.
Dangote also said: “ABU from inception has remained a mini-Nigeria where students from all tribes and tongues congregated to become agents of change, growth and national development.
“Products of ABU went on to excel and distinguished themselves ahead of their contemporaries, serving the nation as Presidents, Vice Presidents and high calibre officials both in the public and private sectors.”
