Danjuma donates N2bn to ABU
General TY Danjuma (rtd), former chief of army staff (1975-1979) and former minister of defence (1999-2003), has beaten even his own record of philanthropy at Ahmadu Bello University's fundraising ceremony yesterday: he donated N2.2 billion to be deployed to different areas of development within the university.
Specifically, the donations are to be used in the Faculty of Science for the building of an administrative block, a library, an auditorium and a lecture hall as well as for landscaping.
Danjuma, who received the honorary Doctor of Science degree for his contribution to the development of the nation, said that northern Nigeria is on fire and all northerners must come together to save the region.
Gen. Danjuma said, 'I give credit to Sir Ahmadu Bello and all those whose foresight and sacrifices gave birth to this institution, whose contributions to the growth of Nigeria cannot be quantified.'
He also praised the vice-chancellor and the members of staff of the university for sustaining the tradition of excellence for which the university had become famous. 'I bear witness to the fact that many of the products of this university have since become worthy ambassadors of the school and of Nigeria. It is for this reason that I am committed to playing whatever role I can in aiding and facilitating the achievements of this university for her noble objectives.
'The university's impact on the nation is considerable. Its impact on the northern states is greater,' he added.
Gen. Danjuma further said: 'ABU has come a long way, starting as it did with a population of 423 students and maturing into what it is today with a student and staff population of over 50,000. It gladdens my heart to note that ABU is the most cosmopolitan tertiary institution of learning in Nigeria both in terms of staff and student profiles. I understand that most local government areas in Nigeria have student(s) in the university and, similarly, all states of the federation have representatives in the staff profile of the university.
'I congratulate the institution on being the only truly federal university in the country. The university's impact on the nation is considerable. Its impact on the northern states is even more. Some of our greatest nationalists are products of this institution.'
On some burning regional and national issues, Gen. Danjuma said that Nigeria's founding fathers would certainly be appalled that today the country they sacrificed so much of their intellect and other resources to build is in anarchy and that the north is in the middle of a civil war.
'Given the challenges now facing the nation, this ceremony affords us an appropriate opportunity for reflection. This is no time to doubt or to question what others have done or failed to do. It is time to ask ourselves what we have done or failed to do. It is time to ask ourselves what we have done or are doing as individuals to preserve or to enhance the great heritage bequeathed to us,' he said.
'In their time, our founding fathers placed emphasis on merit and self-reliance. They sought to create a united and self-reliant society based on respect for human life and respect for the rights of others irrespective of tribe or religion. They would certainly be appalled that today the nation is in total anarchy. Human life is very cheap and impunity has become the norm.
'In the case of the north, the danger is very real indeed. We are in the middle of a civil war in northern Nigeria. There is no defined front in this particular war and, worse still, the enemy is faceless and unknown. There is no immunity for anyone. Moreover, this war is highly contagious. Needless to say, the social and economic cost is incalculable.'
He however regretted that, as a person, he could not proffer practical solution to the problem of the north: 'I regret to confess that I have no suggested solution to this problem. It is up to us the elite to get together and brainstorm to solve our many problems. I take this opportunity therefore to appeal to the nation for unity; we must unite in order to solve our problems.'
General Danjuma had, a few weeks ago, also donated N250million for the development of mechatronics study in the Faculty of Engineering at Bayero University, Kano.
In his speech, Gen. Ibrahim Babangida, former president of the federation who was chairman of the occasion, described Gen. Danjuma as his boss both in the army and out of the army.
Gen. Babangida said Gen. Danjuma was 'another Sardauna of our time' in view of his numerous contributions to the growth and development of the north and the country at large.
According to him, 'for the Nigerians, making contributions to the education sector has become a matter of enlightened self-interest. The security, peace and progress we aspire for ourselves and our families are not attainable if a majority of the citizenry remains locked in the traps of ignorance and poverty
'The choice before us, therefore, is very stark: opt for peace, progress, education of the younger generations of Nigerians or invite anarchy that would end up consuming us all. We must therefore not only insist that our governments at various levels wake up to the challenges in the education sector, but we must also as individuals find ways of making our own contributions to this great task.'
Gen. Babangida said ignorance and poverty are two sides of the same coin, in the same way that knowledge and progress are to another coin, adding that pocketing one of the coins by any community would surely lead to peace and prosperity for all, while picking the other would result into stagnation, insecurity and anarchy that would engulf everyone.
He said: 'In my opinion, there is nobody making greater contributions in this regard today in this country than the person being honoured at this occasion and the chief launcher of today's ABU endowment fund, Gen. Theophilus Yakubu Danjuma.
'Indeed, for the northern states, no individual with the exception of the person after whom this university is named, Sir Ahmadu Bello, the Sardauna Sokoto, has made greater contributions to the educational fortunes of the region.'
He said the fact that the name of Sir Ahmadu Bello remains permanently etched in the memories of the people of the northern states of Nigeria is a testimony to what a single individual can achieve in changing the fortune of any community, stressing that, ' 50 years after the demise of Sir Ahmadu Bello, Gen. Danjuma has virtually picked the gauntlet from where the Sardauna has left it'.
Also speaking, the Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Sa'ad Abubakar III, who doubles as the chancellor of the university, congratulated the general on his uncommon philanthropy.
According to him, Gen. Danjuma had through his industry and humanitarianism transformed and 'continues to transform the life and livelihood of a significant segment of the Nigerian society'.
He said, 'The university is of the firm belief that, with his vast experiences in institution-building and partnership development, Gen. Danjuma represents a great inspiration for the transformation of ABU. We are most grateful when the general graciously accepted to lend a helping hand to the university in this strategic journey.' Leadership