MARYAM Abacha American University of Nigeria (MAAUN) has awarded foreign scholarships to 43 students who graduated with first-class honours.
News Point Nigeria reports that the scholarships were announced by the Founder of the university, Professor Adamu Abubakar Gwarzo, during the maiden convocation held on Saturday at the university’s main campus in Kano.
He stated that the scholarships would fully sponsor the beneficiaries to pursue Master’s degrees in any country of their choice across the world.
Prof. Gwarzo congratulated the graduating students on their achievements and urged them to serve as worthy ambassadors of MAAUN wherever they go.
In his address, the President of the university, Prof. Mohammed Israr, disclosed that MAAUN commenced academic activities in 2022 with 15 programmes across four schools and had since expanded to 22 academic programmes across eight schools.
He noted that the university’s ranking as the second-best private university in Nigeria by the AD Scientific Index reflected its strong commitment to academic excellence and quality education.
According to Prof. Israr, a total of 492 students graduated from 12 academic programmes. Of this number, 43 graduated with First Class honours, 220 earned Second Class Upper degrees, while 229 graduated with Second Class Lower degrees.
Earlier, the Chancellor of the university, who is the Director of the European Centre for Leadership and Entrepreneurship Education (ECLEE)in France, Prof. Mahamouda Salouhou, congratulated the graduates and encouraged them to uphold the values of the institution wherever they found themselves.
The Kano State Governor, Abba Kabir Yusuf, represented by the Chief of Staff, Dr. Wali Sulaiman Sani, assured that the state government would continue to support the education sector and strengthen collaboration with relevant stakeholders.
In a goodwill message, Prof. Hakeem Ibukunle Tijani of Morgan State University, Baltimore, Maryland, USA, commended Prof. Gwarzo for his resilience and vision, particularly for fostering academic collaboration between MAAUN and Morgan State University, one of the oldest universities in the United State of America.
Also speaking, former NUC Executive Secretary, Prof. Abubakar Adamu Rasheed, who was represented by Dr. Ibrahim Usman Yakasai, described the maiden convocation as a defining moment for the university.
He said MAAUN had grown rapidly and become the most popular private university in the North-West.
The best graduating student, Khadija Ibrahim Manzo of the Department of Human Resource Management, received ₦5 million from the Founder, Prof. Gwarzo.
The convocation was attended by representatives of state governors, vice-chancellors of various universities, traditional rulers, senators, commissioners and other top government officials from across the country.