Kwara State Governor, Dr Abdulfatah Ahmed yesterday commissioned a N1b College of Engineering Building at Kwara State University (KWASU), Malete as part of activities to mark the state’s Golden Jubilee Anniversary.
Commissioning the edifice, Gov 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 requires thriving entrepreneurship as well as skilled engineers and scientists.
Earlier, the Commissioner for Tertiary Education, Science and Technology, Dr Amina Ahmed 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.
Speaking at the event, 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 where 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.”
