Otedola donates engineering faculty building to Augustine varsity

FORTE Oil Chairman Mr. Femi Otedola yesterday turned the sod of the Engineering Faculty of Augustine University Ilara (AUI), Epe with a promise that funds had been made ready to build a wing of the building expected to be finished in the next two years.

Otedola said he considered the project as spiritual and worthwhile instead of building himself a new home or buying another private jet.

The son of the former governor of Lagos State, Sir Michael Otedola, said he got a lot of pressure from his mother, Lady Doja, to do something for the university in his father’s memory.

“I remembered 10 years ago, Mama said to me that we should do something for my father in the university.  But then oil prices crumbled and I lost N200 billion.  Now fortunately, by the special grace of God, I have paid all the debts, and the business grew again.

“My father was very passionate about a university being built in Epe because he was very passionate about education. Rather than spend my money on building more houses or buying a jet for myself, I decided to spend the money to support this laudable cause by the Lagos Catholic archdiocese through the Augustine University,” he said.

Lady Otedola, on her part, said she was happy at the turn of events, especially her children’s involvement in a project her husband was passionate about and prayed she would be alive to witness the inauguration of the building.

She said he would be happy about the project, saying: “I can see my husband looking at us smiling.”

The proprietor of the university and the Catholic Archbishop, Diocese of Lagos, Dr. Adewale Martins, thanked the Otedola family for its intervention in the university and many other projects of the Catholic Church.

“This is not the first from the Otedola family.  We are trying to build a home for priests when they retire and that piece of land was donated by the family in 1994. We will hold you up in our prayers,” he said.

Speaking about the importance of the building, Martins noted: “With this engineering faculty, we’re delighted that it’s taking off because it is one area that we think with the kind of technological development that Nigeria needs, we can begin to find the realisation within that faculty – that’s not to say that the arts and the social sciences are not making contributions. We have had those contributions for many years. We are truly delighted that we have this beginning.”

A member of the fundraising committee, Chief Sena Anthony, said Otedola had already dropped N80 million for the building and promised to go beyond just the first wing.

“For this project so far, he has given us N80 million and he said this dream will not stop with one block.  His dream is to go further.  He said as the block goes up, he would bring his friends to see so that they can participate,” she said.

The university’s Vice-Chancellor Prof. Steven Afolami thanked the family for accepting the project.