KWASU: Gov Ahmed Inaugurates N1b Engineering School

By Steve Oni, Ilorin
The Kwara State Governor, Alhaji Abdulfatah Ahmed, has inaugurated a N1b College of Engineering Building at Kwara State University (KWASU), Malete as part of activities to mark the state’s Golden Jubilee Anniversary.

Inaugurating the edifice on Tuesday, Ahmed said “it became imperative in view of government’s decision to prioritize functional education and the resolve to make Kwara state one of the country’s most economically developed and industrialized states.”

According to the governor, the first phase of the college was designed to be a model one aimed at providing a sound starting point for engineering courses in the University while the second phase of the building would provide an environment for research and engineering innovation.

“The human capital requirement for economic growth and diversification of our economy can only be achieved through skills training based on the needs of our economy,” he emphasised.

The governor noted that no economy can develop and prosper without relevant skills, vibrant informal sector and industrialization which require thriving entrepreneurship as well as skilled engineers and scientists.

Earlier, the Commissioner for Tertiary Education, Science and Technology, Dr Amina Ahmed, had said the project was awarded at an initial contract sum of N690, 977,860.52 but revised to N1, 052,712,252.49 due to the down turn of the national economy and the consequent hike in foreign exchange.

Also speaking, the Vice Chancellor, KWASU, Prof. Abdulrasheed Na’Allah, said “KWASU Council and Management have complemented the investment of Government in this building by ensuring that superior academic staff was recruited from around the world into the Engineering College. With the first of its type academic programme of Aeronautical and Astronautically Engineering, and five other programmes, (Electrical & Electronics, Agric Engineering, Civil Engineering, Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science Engineering) KWASU is set to launch admission recruitment into KWASU from West African Countries.”