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University of Jos (UNIJOS) has secured a N250 million grant from the Abdul Samad Rabiu Africa (ASR Africa) Initiative, under the Africa Tertiary Education Grants Scheme. The scheme is part of ASR Africa’s intervention towards undertaking infrastructure projects in universities and institutions of higher learning across Nigeria.
Presenting the grant documents to the vice-chancellor of the University of Jos, Prof. Tanko Ishaya, in his office in Abuja, the managing director of ASR Africa, Dr.. Ubong Udoh, said the university was one of the 30 beneficiary institutions in Nigeria that were chosen based on carefully selected criteria. According to Udoh, the criteria included the institution’s ranking and visibility as well as the vision of its leadership. He praised the leadership qualities of VC of UNIJOS, Ishaya, whom he said has injected a greater sense of synergy and enterprise since assuming leadership in the institution.
The managing director explained that the chairman of ASR Africa and the BUA Group, Alhaji Abdul Samad Rabiu, considers education pivotal to national development, which was why he was investing over N7 billion to reinvigorate the sector. Udoh said other areas of intervention that formed the core mandate of ASR Africa were health and social development, and disclosed that the next phase of the scheme’s implementation process was project selection as well as the developing of mutual accountability frameworks with the respective institutions.
He stressed that the grant was not a cash award to the institutions but consisted of funding for any infrastructural project in the worth N250 million, which would be completed and put into full functionality within three months of commencement.
The ASR Africa head praised UNIJOS for what he described as its bold and futuristic proposal to use the grant to develop its sports facilities, thus keying into the Federal Government’s new policy focus for sports to be operated as a business enterprise rather than solely for recreation.
Also contributing, multilateral coordination specialist, ASR Africa, Nakama Keri, disclosed that the organization collaborates with partners who provide specialized services, including laboratory equipment that will be made available to the university. He confirmed that efforts were also being intensified to secure funding intervention for sponsoring academics to acquire master’s and doctorate degrees, in addition to creating a programme for funding academic research activities.
Receiving the grant documents from the ASR Africa helmsman, o Ishaya said UNIJOS had a lot of needs because of its infrastructural deficit but the managers decided to prioritize the development of sports facilities due to the upcoming National Universities Games Association (NUGA) sports festival, to be hosted by the university in 2024.
The VC pledged that, in keeping faith with the bold declaration that the university would host the best ever NUGA Sports Festival in the games’ history, UNIJOS has aggressively commenced preparations by entering into partnerships with a wide range of public-spirited organizations and institutions to develop its sports facilities and infrastructure. According to Prof. Ishaya, the essence of hosting the NUGA Sports Festival in UNIJOS was not just as a jamboree but also as part of the strategy to turn the university into a sports hub in Nigeria.
The VC observed that the unique weather and scenic beauty of Jos were conducive for organizing international sports competitions, which was why the university signed a memorandum of understanding with the International Sports University in South Korea to develop a comprehensive sports programme to harness the talents that abound across the country in the various fields of sports. He stated that UNJIOS has already designed a sports curriculum that will be jointly implemented by the two universities, with a provision for exchange programmes and capacity-building initiatives in Sports Medicine, Sports Marketing, Sports Journalism, Sports Psychology, and Sports Data Analysis, among others, for both staff and students.
Prof. Tanko said although the university plans to build an ultramodern sports complex ahead of the NUGA Sports Festival, the funding being sought from ASR Africa is to enable the university to develop outdoor and indoor courts to host games such as basketball, table tennis, volleyball, Lawn Tennis as well as an Olympic Size Swimming Pool.
He appreciated ASR Africa and its Chairman, Abdul Samad Rabiu for identifying with the University and assured that UNIJOS has a sustainable plan in place that will make every kobo invested in the project worthwhile, mutually beneficial, and socially impact.
