FCTA PARTNERS INDIAN GROUP TOWARDS A WORLD CLASS TECHNOLOGY UNIVERSITY

The Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) is set to partner with the Nigerian University of Technology and Management Project group to build a world class university of technology and management in the FCT. Minister of the FCT, Malam Muhammad Bello who spoke while receiving executives of the group led by the Minister of Trade and Investment, Dr Okechukwu Enelamah, in his office in Abuja on Tuesday, January 28, said the project is in furtherance of the plan of the FCT Administration to have specialized institutions in phases 4 and 5 of the Territory. The Minister while noting that Abuja has matured in terms population and infrastructure, said the FCT Administration will give the group all the support to ensure that the project is commenced as quickly as possible. He said arrangements are being made in the interim, to situate the project within the premises of the Abuja University of Technology,Abaji or the Abuja technology village. According to the Minister, “We are now developing a new area of the city which is called phase 5 in the southern axis of the city and within phase 5, we are earmarking an area that could basically accommodate what you did in Hyderabad. It’s not just going to be yours alone, but other institutions that have similar ideas and we are doing so because we have a major arterial road network that is going to connect phase 3, 4 and phase 5 and part of it is under construction already. “We are now concentrating on so many other things, the industrial zone, medical and even school facilities. Now even within the  educational system, we are now targeting more of specialized institutions because by the natural phase of growth, the city has reached a point where it requires that”. Earlier in his remarks, the Minister of Trade and Investment, Dr Okechukwu Enelamah, said Nigeria is very privileged to have a group of investors who have gone through the system, having been trained by such universities and have contributed and given back to their own societies by building such institutions. He said they are now going beyond the call of duty to help Nigeria in building such a university. Also speaking at the occasion, the Senior Advisor (NUTM), Rajat Gupta, emphasized that public-private partnership would be required to create such world class institution in the country. Gupta disclosed that the project will require several years and possibly decades of commitment to make it worthwhile, adding however that its impact as an educational institution will be felt in the country for hundreds of years to come.  According to him, “We started a business school in the middle of nowhere in the City of Hyderabad and there was nothing around it. We built the campus and we created the school and then everything started developing around it. A lot of businesses were incubated and a lot of global companies like Microsoft moved in; various technology and finance companies moved in and now it has become the most vibrant part of the city”. The NUTM senior advisor hoped that the university would do for Nigeria what similar ones have done for Malaysia and India. COSMAS UZODINMA CHIEF PRESS SECRETARY