Fifteen years after it was abandoned, the multi-million naira International Conference Centre at Bayero University, Kano (BUK) has been completed and commissioned by the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund).
The project, originally conceived during the tenure of former Executive Secretary of the National Universities Commission (NUC), Professor Abubakar Abdulrasheed, had remained dormant for over a decade due to inadequate funding and administrative delays.
Speaking at the commissioning ceremony on Thursday, TETFund Executive Secretary, Architect Sonny Echono, said the project was revived and completed under the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
He described the intervention as a demonstration of the administration’s commitment to reviving distressed and abandoned infrastructure in Nigeria’s tertiary education sector.
“This project was abandoned for more than 15 years. It has taken the political will of President Tinubu to bring it back to life,” Echono said. “His Renewed Hope Agenda is focused on equipping our institutions to compete globally, and this centre is a clear example of that vision.”
Echono noted that the International Conference Centre, which meets global standards, would serve as a hub for academic, research, and policy activities. The facility includes over 38 en-suite guest rooms, multiple conference halls, and expansive open spaces designed to host academic and corporate events.
He added that TETFund, in the last two years, introduced a special intervention line to complete abandoned and distressed projects across public tertiary institutions, describing the BUK centre as one of the agency’s flagship success stories.
“A modern facility like this not only uplifts the standard of our universities but also shows that we are ready to operate on a global scale,” he added.
Echono said the centre would enhance the university’s capacity to host major academic and national events, while also generating revenue through external engagements.
In his remarks, BUK Vice Chancellor, Professor Adamu Abbas, expressed gratitude to TETFund for what he called a “long-awaited” intervention.
He said the completion of the project would restore pride to the university’s architectural landscape and provide a vital platform for research, development, and collaboration.
He urged the incoming university administration to ensure the facility is well maintained and put to good use, to prevent a repeat of its previous neglect.
The completion of the conference centre is seen as a significant step toward addressing the backlog of abandoned projects across public universities and rebuilding public confidence in government-led interventions in the education sector.
The facility is expected to position Bayero University as a prime venue for hosting major academic, national, and international conferences.
