By Waziri Isa Adam
The Federal University Dutsin-Ma, (FUDMA) is pursuing a strategic collaboration with renowned Katsina entrepreneur and Chairman of AFDIN Group of Companies, Alhaji Dahiru Barau Mangal, as part of efforts to reposition the university as a world-class institution.
The plan was unveiled when the university’s management team, led by the Vice-Chancellor, Professor Mohammed Khalid Othman, paid a courtesy visit to Alhaji Mangal on Tuesday, June 30, 2026.
During the visit, Alhaji Mangal accepted the university’s invitation to serve as Special Guest at FUDMA’s forthcoming 10th and 11th Combined Convocation Ceremony scheduled for November/December 2026.
He also expressed appreciation to the FUDMA delegation and pledged support for the institution’s growth agenda.
“The synergy between the academy and industry is timely,” Mangal said. “I will do everything humanly possible by identifying key areas of collaboration with FUDMA to help it achieve its vision of becoming a world-class citadel of learning.”
Alhaji Mangal further commended both FUDMA and Umaru Musa Yar’adua University for their contributions to educational development in Nigeria.
Speaking earlier, Professor Othman said the visit was aimed at strengthening ties between the university and the private sector to advance educational development in Katsina State and Nigeria.
He noted that with youths making up about 70 percent of Nigeria’s population, universities have a critical responsibility to shape the country’s future.
“Universities are the Ivory Towers of knowledge. They must interrogate societal problems and provide solutions. We must harness our resources to re-orient the mindset of our teeming youths and make them productive assets instead of liabilities,” the Vice-Chancellor said.
“This objective can only be achieved through strategic collaborations that re-engineer education to support industry and national development,” he added.
Professor Othman disclosed that FUDMA currently has a student population of about 40,000 drawn from across Nigeria, with Katsina indigenes constituting a significant proportion of both staff and students as the host community.