Governor Bello Matawalle of Zamfara State has directed for the construction of N400million National Open University of Nigeria, NOUN, Study Center in Gusau, the state capital.
Mr Matawalle, who gave the directive on Thursday when he paid a working visit to the National Headquarters of the University in Abuja, also pledged to sponsor an initial 200 students into the institution.
The governor said his decision to take this bold step was born out of his desire to fast track the development of education in the state, pointing out that his administration was committed to building a virile youth for the future of the state.
“I am convinced that NOUN is the right institution to assist in that direction because it is not hindered by bottlenecks peculiar to tertiary education system in this country,” Mr Matawalle observed.
“Since my assumption of office, I have sponsored 200 qualified students abroad to study critical areas of medical and technology courses where the state is in dire need,” Mr Matawalle revealed.
According to him, his administration’s commitment towards transforming the educational sector in the state informed the allocation of the highest fund to the sector in the 2020 appropriation Bill.
Earlier, the Vice-Chancellor of the University, Prof. Abdalla Uba Adamu, said the University’s programs are fully online – from the admission process, registration study to even the conduct of examinations.
“Your Excellency, as at today, we have completed our first semester examination despite lock down arising from the pandemic of COVID-19. This is because the bulk of our business is conducted online,” Mr Uba-Adamu said.
While stressing that human capital development was important for development of the North Mr Uba-Adamu appealed to Northern governors and stakeholders to sponsor students to the University.
He, therefore, commended Mr Matawalle for being the only governor who personally visited the University.