Prof. Shugaban who gave the commendation during the commissioning of a 500-seater lecture theatre donated by the NNPC to the university also expressed satisfaction with the quality of the job and the constant intervention of the company in the infrastructural development of Nigerian universities.
Speaking at the commissioning ceremony, the Group Managing Director of NNPC Malam Mele Kyari, who was represented by the Manager, Community Impact Investment, Mrs. Doris Ohia, restated the commitment of the company to the development of education and nation-building.
In a related development, the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources Chief Timipre Sylva has challenged Nigerian universities to engage in research that will be beneficial to the nation.
Receiving the Governing Council of the Federal University of Technology Akure (FUTA), led by its Chairman Dr. Godknows Igali, in his office, Chief Sylva said it was unfortunate that despite the volume of research developed by Nigerian universities, the country still relies on consultants and tools for the oil and gas sector from Europe and America.
He challenged the Council to look inward and come up with research and tools that are affordable and that would enhance exploration in the oil and gas sector of the nation's economy.