UNILORIN NLNG Research Lab Commissioned.
The University of Ilorin (UNILORIN) was agog last Frida as the Nigeria Liquefied Natural Gas Limited (NLNG) commissioned the state-of-the-art engineering laboratory it built for the University.
The $2 million Engineering Research Centre is part of the company’s $12 million University Support Programme (USP) spread across six universities in the six geopolitical zones of the country.
Speaking at the event, the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of NLNG, Mr. Babs Omotowa, said that the University Support Programme is one of NLNG’s approaches to developing Nigerian human capital and fostering technological advancement.
Mr. Omotowa said,”I expect that the new laboratory complex will be put to excellent use. The present administration has called for home-grown solutions to the problems facing us as a nation- from agriculture, power generation and distribution, technological advancement, to healthcare and infrastructure development”.
He expressed confidence in the management of the University of Ilorin under the leadership of Prof. AbdulGaniyu Ambali saying “the university is one of the very few properly managed universities in Nigeria”.
In his own speech, the Vice-Chancellor of the University, Prof AbdulGaniyu Ambali stressed the importance of Engineering and Technology to nation building.
Prof. Ambali expressed appreciation to the NLNG Managing Director, who he described as “a true ambassador and a great alumnus of this great university”.
The VC recalled that the journey to the commissioning of the Research Centre started on June 20, 2014 at Abuja when a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed between the six selected universities.
Prof. Ambali said that “before now, our Engineering has been ranked the best in Nigeria” and expressed the hope that in due course, the University of Ilorin will outperform others in Africa.
Promising that the facility would be put to proper use, the Vice-Chancellor said that members of his management team were determined to continue on the path of excellence that the University is already known for.
The Governor of Kwara State, Dr Abdulfatah Ahmed, who was represented at the commissioning by the state Commissioner for Education, Alhaji Musa Yeketi, said, “By this gesture, Nigeria LNG has proved that it is not only one of the most successful business organisations on Nigerian soil as I have come to realise, but also an agent of development in the nation”.
According to Governor Ahmed, “It is impressive to note that the company, which is headquartered in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, and doing its business globally, should commit to such an inspiring Corporate Social Responsibility initiative on a national scale, to benefit six tertiary institutions across the geopolitical zones in the country, including our very own University of Ilorin”.
