Tinubu inaugurates BUA’s N1bn innovation center gifted to UNIMAID

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has inaugurated the N1 billion International Centre for Innovation and Entrepreneurship donated to the University of Maiduguri by the Abdul Samad Rabiu Africa Initiative.

The edifice, located in the centre of the varsity, was unveiled on Saturday by Vice President Kashim Shettima, who represented Tinubu, who praised the donation as “service to humanity”.

The centre boasts 150 auditoriums, artisans and handcraft, a fabrication machine laboratory, a training zone, a coding and app development laboratory, robotics, drones, and mechatronics, incubation spaces, and more.

The vice chancellor of the university, Professor Aliyu Shugaba, remarked that the centre would promote flourishing innovation and an entrepreneurial ecosystem that fosters creativity, collaboration, and experimentation.

“However, despite the three months of training provided in entrepreneurship and over 70,000 students exposed to it, the goal of creating enterprises by the students at graduation has not been achieved.

“The new centre is expected to address the situation. It is expected to promote flourishing innovation and an entrepreneurial ecosystem that fosters creativity, collaboration, and experimentation.

“It will provide a platform for individuals and other stakeholders to launch and grow new ventures, creating a social and economic impact in the process. In the future, products from the centre will be able to create enterprises for self-employment.

“On behalf of the university, I express our deep gratitude and say thank you to Alhaji Abdul Samad Rabiu for his generosity and support,” he said.

Shettima, Shehu of Borno, Abubakar Ibn Umar Garbai, the owner of BUA, Abdul Samad Rabiu, and the former registrar of the university, Dahiru Bobbo, were awarded honorary doctorate degrees.