NPA Donates ICT Center, Computers, E-Library to ATBU

By Segun Awofadeji

The Nigeria Ports Authority (NPA) has donated an Information, Communication Technology (ICT) centre to Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University(ATBU), Bauchi, for use by remedial students as part of it’s social responsibility to promote research and development.

The centre is equipped with 40 computer units, as well as an e-library.

Speaking during the commissioning of the project, held recently, the Senior Procurement Officer, NPA, Tukur Buba appealed to the university to put the project to good use, adding that the gesture was to help the remedial students improve on their knowledge of ICT and also encourage other forms of academic researches for development.

“Make good use of these facilities so that our children unborn will come and use these facilities. The management of Nigerian Ports Authority is behind you, eager and anxious to see you succed in all your endeavours and we want these facilities to be used for the upliftment of education in this institution.”

“People regard government properties as nobody’s properties, but this time around, I want you to regard these properties as if they are your own personal properties because in doing that, generations to come, will come and make use of it even with a better technology” Tukur said.

In his response, the Vice Chancellor of ATBU, Professor Muhammed Abdulazeez, commended the NPA for coming to the rescue of the institution by donating the ICT center, saying that it will help the students reduce the search for physical books and aide the lecturers in their academic .

According to him, most students fail the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UMTE) mainly because of their lack of the knowledge of ICT. It will help the university transition from analog to digital.

“We have remedial students who are about writing the UTME, most students fail not because they don’t know the answer, but because they don’t have knowledge of ICT. This is an advantage to such students as they will be able to practice using these facilities.

The VC disclosed that all tests for remedial would now be by CBT, adding that the library is very critical to the development of education.

“Any academic institution without a library is completely irrelevant as the library has migrated to an information science where you can communicate, get latest information and access latest books activities.