From KABIRU YUSUF, Abuja
PRESIDENT Olusegun Obasanjo will on Monday perform the
ground breaking ceremony of ABTI-American University in Yola town, the
capital of Adamawa state.
The new model American-style education university got its
license through Nigerian University Commission a year ago as a private
initiative of a Yola-based ABTI educational outfit, will serve as a model
American style education available in Africa south of the Sahara.
The new institution which has a partnership between ABTI
group schools which began operation 14 years ago with nursery, primary and
most recently secondary schools in Yola and American University of
Washington DC, USA.
The institution which is expected to begin classes in
September next year is also expected to take off with an initial enrolment
of 200 students which will be raised to 7,000 in the next 10 years.
The release signed by Senior Special Assistant to Vice
President Atiku Abubakar on Media Affairs, Dr. Onukaba Adinoyi Ojo stated
that Obasanjo administration had licensed dozens of private universities as
part of the efforts to broaden access to higher education for millions of
Nigerians.
"We envision that ABTI-American University in Yola will
become a model for American style education in one of the African
countries,�� said American University President Benjamin Ladner.
"This exciting initiative will meet a great need in
Nigeria and the region for a high quality university education, while also
providing joint educational opportunities for American university faculty
and students. We are proud of this venture, which strongly supports American
university's global mission,'' Ladner added.
ABTI-American University is expected to sit on a 500-acre
land in Jimeta, Yola. It will kick-off with three schools - arts and
sciences, entrepreneurial studies and business management, and information
technology and communication. While the selection of these core areas of
studies under-score the vision of ABTI-American University's founders to
assist in accelerating the nation's development.
The university hopes to provide quality education of
global standards at affordable cost, Nigeria is expected to save millions of
Naira through the new educational project as many of those who would have
travelled all the way to the United States for American-style university
will take advantage of the opportunities at ABTI-American University in Yola,
the statement added.
Dr. David Huwiler, former president of the American
University of Central Asia, has been appointed pioneer president ABTI-American
University and Dr. James Garofalo, the former Dean of School of Education at
Aquinas College in Michigan, USA, and a former Peace Corps Volunteer in
Nigeria in the 1960s, has been named first Vice President of Academic
Affairs.
Renowned technocrat and chairman of the Nigerian Communications
Commission (NCC), Alhaji Ahmad Joda is the Chairman of the Board of ABTI-American
University, Yola. The board also has former Atlanta Mayor, Andrew Young,
former managing director of Habib Bank, Akin Kekere-Ekun, chairman of
African Petroleum, Peter Okocha, chairman of Globacom, Mike Adenuga, INELS
boss, Manuele Volpi, notable business personality, Justice Chanrai and
INTELS director, Adamu Abubakar as some of the other distinguish members.
