Kachikwu Wants Alumni To Dev Alma Mater

The Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Dr Ibe Kachikwu, has called on alumni to help to develop their alma mater to enable them to compete favourably with their foreign counterparts.
Kachukwu made the call when he inaugurated a building donated by the Platform Petroleum Ltd, to the Geology Department of the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, (UNN)  recently.
The building was named after the company’s pioneer Managing Director, Mr Austin Avuru, a graduate of the department.
“What Platform Petroleum has done today to honour Avuru should be emulated.
“I am convinced that this building will improve teaching and learning in Geology Department.
“I urge the department to ensure that the building is put to good use and maintained to enable it to last,” he said.
The minister said that the present administration was committed to ensuring that Nigeria would be able to refine petroleum that would meet local demand by 2019.
“Refining petroleum that will be able to meet the demand of Nigerians will help to stabilise the price as well as boost the economy,” he said.
The Chairman of the company, Chief Dumo Lulu-Briggs, said that the edifice would improve geology education in UNN.
“The more equipped our universities are, the better they will help to move the nation forward since education drives development.
“Capacity building through education is something we should take serious in this country.
“The company has not donated building alone, but ensured that classrooms, laboratory, offices and conference hall in the building are well equipped, “Lulu-Briggs said.
He said that the company named the building after its pioneer managing director because of his achievements for the company.
“We expect the department to put the building to good use as well as maintain it,” he said.
The UNN Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Benjamin Ozumba, thanked the company for the donation, and hoped that it would go a long way to improve teaching and learning.
“UNN will remain grateful to Avuru who attracted this building to the department,” Ozumba said.
He urged other alumni of the university to emulate him.
“I promise that the university will use the building judiciously as well as ensure its maintenance,” the vice chancellor said.
In his remarks, Avuru thanked the company for naming the building after him.
“This is a little way to give back to the department that made me what I am today,” he said.