By Emeka Mamah

IT was celebration galore at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, UNN, weekend, when an oil company, the Platform Petroleum Limited, donated a new Geology Building to the institution.

The building was commissioned by the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Dr. Ibe Kachikwu at the occasion which was witnessed by the chairman of Platform Petroleum, Chief Dumolulu-Briggs, chairman of SEPLAT Petroleum, ABC Orjiako, Prof Sylvester Adegoke, His Royal Majesty, King Edmund Daukoru, the Deputy Vice Chancellor of UNN, Prof James Ogbonna and the first chief executive officer, CEO, Platform Petroleum, Mr Austin Avuru, whom the building was named after.

The acting group managing director, Platform Holdings Limited, Mr Amaechi Moshe, said that the facility “which is the first initiative by Platform outside of its Umutu, Delta State operation site came out of the desire of the company to support Mr Avuru’s desire to reduce the huge infrastructure deficit at his alma mater, UNN.

The new Austin Avuru building donated by Platform Petroleum Limited.

Avuru, the current CEO of SEPLAT Petroleum Development Company Plc, graduated from the Geology Department in 1980.  Vice Chancellor of UNN, Prof. Benjamin Ozumba, who spoke while receiving Mr. Avuru, King Dakoru and other members of his entourage in his office, expressed gratitude to Platform Petroleum Limited for its kind gesture.

Ozumba said that Avuru was not only unassuming but among the few Nigerians who were not “crazy for titles.”

According to Ozumba, although he was being inundated with letters from former presidents, vice presidents and serving governors asking for honorary doctorate degrees from the UNN, the university on its own approached Avuru for such rare privilege but he declined.

“Former presidents, vice presidents, governors, other top politicians among the who is who in the society are clamouring for UNN’s honorary doctorate degrees but we gave it to Austine Avuru and he refused to show up. The world is moving away from commodity-led economy to innovation and the best way to do this is through science incubators,” Ozumba said.

Earlier, the Acting Group Managing Director, Platform Holdings Limited, Mr. Amaechi Moshe had noted that “things had got so bad at the Department of Geology to the extent that it was about to lose its academic accreditation,” adding that “the new building is larger and more conducive than the old departmental building and will provide office space for lecturers as well as laboratories and lecture halls for students.”

He also said that “the gesture by the company is a reiteration of Platform Petroleum Limited’s commitment to creating value for the larger good of the society and the company is excited that the provision of this building will enhance quality of education for the staff and students of the Department of