FEMI GBAJABIAMILA DONATES 484-BED HOSTEL FACILITY TO UNILAG
The Speaker, House of Representatives, Right Honourable Tajudeen Abbas, Ph.D. on Wednesday, January 3, 2024, performed the official commissioning of the Femi Gbajabiamila Hall of Residence in the University of Lagos with a charge to all stakeholders to key into and support Nigeria’s transition into a Knowledge-Based Economy.
Speaking on the University of Lagos Main Campus, Akoka, Yaba where the 484-bed Landmark Students Hostel is sited, Rt. Hon Abbas attributed the increase in budgetary provision for the Education Sector and the N50 billion Students’ Loan Scheme (which will commence later this month), as some of the sterling achievements and impacts of the Donor, Right Honourable Femi Gbajabiamila, He said the Students’ Hostel symbolizes individual and collective dedication of both the donor and government to pull down all barriers to education.
While showering encomia on the donor, the Chief of Staff to the President and his predecessor, Rt Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila, the Speaker, House of Representatives applauded his intellectual prowess, consistency and commitment to the Nigerian Project as exemplified in his tireless advocacy, efforts and unwavering dedication to attracting projects to his constituency and beyond.
He adjudged the Femi Gbajabiamila Hall of Residence another milestone in the pursuit of educational empowerment and physical development in Nigeria especially when viewed against the ranking of UNILAG in the comity of ivory towers.
The event saw the Speaker, House of Representatives sharing his thoughts on the critical role of a Knowledge-Based Economy in national development; he decried Nigeria’s over-reliance on oil and gas at the expense of intellectual capacity and advocated policies that will engender renewable energy, agriculture, solid minerals and intellectual capacities.
Hon. Tajudeen Abbas assured of the Green Chamber’s commitment to encourage innovation, support knowledge-driven growth, protect intellectual property, promote and regulate the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI), encourage digital literacy as well as facilitate Ease of Doing Business. He also assured that the House of Representatives will work with the executive arm of government and adopt legislative measures that foster a culture of research and development.
In his address, the Donor, Rt Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila described the project as another addition to the long tapestry of the joint and continued efforts that have sustained UNILAG and honoured the vision of its founding fathers.
Recalling the 52nd Convocation Lecture of UNILAG which he delivered in January 2021, the Chief of Staff to the President said the Hall of Residence is part of his commitment towards “raising a generation in whose hearts, the light of understanding is lit and cannot be put out, who possess the zeal and the passion to defeat the tyranny of low expectations and improve the life of man here on earth”.
He said the Femi Gbajabiamila Hall of Residence will “provide a conducive environment for learning and collaboration, where students are safe to be themselves and comfortable to think about big ideas as well as find solutions to many complex challenges of our modern age…I hope that years from now, some young students here will recount how they solved one global challenge or another, or recall the moment that they came up with the big idea that inspired their success in business or academia, science, politics or industry and when they recount these moments, they will say, it began here…”.
In their separate remarks, the Minister of State for Education, Dr Yusuf Tanko Sununu, Senator representing Lagos West Senatorial District, Senator Wasiu Sanni-Eshinlokun, and representative of Lagos Caucus of House of Representatives all showered commendations on the Chief of Staff to the President; Rt Hon Femi Gbajabiamila. They described him as a man of wisdom, integrity, and great antecedence in national development.
Immediate past Vice-Chancellor, University of Lagos, Professor Oluwatoyin Ogundipe FAS, in his remarks, traced the journey of the Femi Gbajabiamila Hall of Residence back to 2019 when Rt. Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila, in his capacity as Speaker, House of Representatives, indicated interest in executing a legacy project in UNILAG. Prof. Ogundipe appreciated Hon. Gbajabiamila’s commitment to the project till its completion and his unwavering magnanimity to UNILAG over the years.
His words, “We were concerned about our global reputation and how attracting foreign students and scholars to the University could positively impact our international ranking. Myself and Professor Ogunsola as the then Deputy Vice-Chancellor Development Services and other Management team decided to reach out to Rt. Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila, the former Speaker of the House of Representatives and alumnus of the University’s Faculty of Law. The Speaker kindly pledged to assist the University’s management in tackling this issue for the benefit of its students. The construction and furnishing of the three-story male hostel and three-story female hostel at the University of Lagos, at a total cost of approximately N1.5 billion, was approved in October 2020 as a result of Hon. Gbajabiamila’s intervention. All procurement processes were completed by the Ministry of Education and winners were officially communicated. By December 2020, the contractors had been mobilized to the site right away. Hon. Gbajabiamila personally visited the project site on January 1, 2021, and again in 2022 as it developed to demonstrate his interest in making sure the project was finished on schedule and that the contractor had actually performed a quality job.”
While welcoming the crème-de-la-crème who converged on the UNILAG campus for the formal commissioning of the Femi Gbajabiamila Hall of Residence, the Vice-Chancellor, University of Lagos, Professor Folasade Ogunsola, OON, FAS, appreciated the Chief of Staff of the President, Rt. Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila, CFR for his commitment to UNILAG through his various interventions.
She described accommodation as a major challenge confronting the university and applauded Rt. Hon Gbajabiamila for heeding the call of the university management when met with the request.
The Vice-Chancellor said “upon completion of this project, students from different states of the Federation as well as from different countries and of different cultural backgrounds will find this Hostel to be Home Away from Home.The facility will provide quality housing for students under a harmonised, diverse socio-cultural atmosphere, with students sharing common areas, lounges, kitchenettes, and bathrooms”.
Prof. Ogunsola tasked all stakeholders and society at large to support management in the onerous task of building a first-class, global and future-ready University. She added that “J.F. Kennedy, former President of the United States of America once said: The success of any University is determined by the position occupied by its Alumni in the Society. You will agree with me that going by this statement, the University of Lagos is a very successful and blessed Institution that keeps on blazing the trail in research, teaching and innovation”.
Highpoint of the colourful event was the formal cutting of the tape and unveiling of the plaque of the Femi Gbajabiamila Hall of Residence by the Speaker, House of Representatives, Rt. Honourable Tajudeen Abbas, Ph.D. who was flanked by other dignitaries at the event.
Standing tall as a landmark edifice from both the Bariga and Abule Oja directions to the UNILAG main gate, Akoka, Yaba, the Femi Gbajabiamila Hall of Residence comprises 4 blocks; A, B, C, D.
Each block is built on a land area of approximately 1472.0 square meters each and is structured with 4-man rooms as well as some single occupancy rooms.
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