Date: 2017-05-25

Kwara State Governor, Alhaji Abdulfatah Ahmed, yesterday commissioned N1billion College of Engineering building at Kwara State University (KWASU), Malete as part of activities to mark the state's Golden Jubilee anniversary.

Commissioning the edifice, Ahmed said, "It became imperative in view of government's decision to prioritise functional education and the resolve to make Kwara one of the country's most economically developed and industrialised states.

According to the governor, the first phase of the college was designed to be a model aimed at providing a sound starting point for engineering courses in the University while the second phase of the building would provide an environment for research and engineering innovation.

"The human capital requirement for economic growth and diversification of our economy can only be achieved through skills training based on the needs of our economy," he emphasised.

The governor noted that no economy can develop and prosper without relevant skills, vibrant informal sector and industrialisation which required thriving entrepreneurship as well as skilled engineers and scientists.

Earlier, the Commissioner for Tertiary Education, Science and Technology, Dr. Amina Ahmed, said the project was awarded at an initial contract sum of N690,977,860.52 but revised to N1,052,712,252.49 due to the downturn of the economy and consequent hike in foreign exchange.

Speaking, the Vice Chancellor, of the institution, Prof. Abdulrasheed Na'Allah said "KWASU Council and Management have complemented the investment of government in this building by ensuring that superior academic staff were recruited from around the world into the Engineering College.

"With the first of its uncommon academic programme of Aeronautical and Astronautically Engineering, and five other programmes, (Electrical & Electronics, Agric Engineering, Civil Engineering, Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science Engineering) KWASU is set to launch admission recruitment into KWASU from West African Countries," he added.