By Ayo Onikoyi

Abdul Samad Rabiu, billionaire founder of ASR Africa and Chairman of BUA Group, has added another education project to his fast-growing philanthropic portfolio with the handover of a 500-seat lecture theatre to Adamawa State University, Mubi.

The building, named after him, cost ¦ 350 million (almost $250,000) and comes with four boreholes to improve water supply on campus. It was delivered under the ASR Africa Tertiary Education Grant Scheme, the vehicle Rabiu set up in 2021 to plug gaps in health, education and social development across Nigeria.

Rabiu, who is Nigeria’s second wealthiest man with a Fortune Forbes pegs at $8.9 billion, was represented by Aliyu Idi Hong, a Director at BUA Group. At the commissioning, Hong said the project was dear to Rabiu and was completed despite current economic pressures. Governor Ahmadu Umaru Fintiri and the university’s vice-chancellor, Augustine Clement, said the hall will ease pressure on teaching space at the state-owned school. ASR Africa says more than 30 Nigerian universities and specialized institutions have now benefited from the scheme, with awards ranging from ¦ 250 million (US$172,414) to ¦ 2 billion (US$1,379,310), depending on the scale of work. The Mubi theatre is the first such facility in the North-East funded by the initiative and is set up for large classes, conferences and examinations.