Sharda University of Greater Noida, New Delhi, India, has conferred an honorary doctorate degree on Governor Rabi’u Musa Kwankwaso of Kano state.
In a brief speech shortly before conferring the award on the governor at the Government House in Kano yesterday, the university’s Chancellor and Chairman of Sharda Group of Institutions (SGI), Mr. Pradeep Kumar Gupta, said the honour “is in view of the selfless commitment made by Governor Rabi’u Musa Kwankwaso in the fields of education, public health and rural infrastructure”.
He said the university has followed the activities and contributions of the governor in all areas of governance and found him worthy of the award.
Responding, Kwankwaso thanked the management of the institution for finding him worthy of the doctorate degree which he described as an honour not just to him and his family but to the entire people of Kano state.
The governor, who said he was impressed by the teaching staff, facilities and environment he saw when he visited the university some months ago, hoped the 165 that were part of the over 2,000 Kano indigenes that were sponsored by the state government for post-graduates degrees in 14 countries that are in the university will soon return home and contribute their quota to nation-building.
He further disclosed that there are a total of 509 students in various universities in India.
The governor said: “On these students at Sharda University, we are spending 2.6 million USD while at Babuji College we have 14 medical students and 25 students of Pharmacy on which we are spending a total of 2.6 million also. By any standard, spending this amount of money in two universities is a big amount.”
He, however, argued that although the amount being spent on the students is not much, if the sum is weighed against the future of Kano and Nigeria, the investment is worth it.
A statement issued by the Director of Press and Public Relations to the Governor of Kano state, Malam Halilu Ibrahim Dantiye, said Sharda University, one of the leading private universities in India, is owned by SGI group and was established with a vision to evolve a unique system of education that increases the relevance of higher education.
“The university is committed to providing a place where boundaries of subject discipline fade and students are exposed to a new way of finding comprehensive and total solution,” Dantiye said.
