A significant milestone in the annals of collaboration was recorded on Tuesday, July 22, 2025, as the Nasarawa State University, Keffi (NSUK), and National Metallurgical Development Centre (NMDC), Jos, signed a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA). This partnership is poised to transform the fortunes of both institutions, particularly in the critical areas of research and development.
The signing ceremony, held at the university’s Liaison office in Asokoro, Abuja, saw the Vice-Chancellor of NSUK, Professor Sa’adatu Hassan Liman shed light on the university’s keen interest in collaborating with NMDC. She revealed that this interest stemmed from positive reports from university departments that had previously visited the Centre, praising its expertise and state-of-the-art equipment in Engineering, Technology, and Research and Development.
Professor Liman further highlighted that NSUK’s desire for partnership was also driven by the extensive information she gathered on the indispensable role NMDC plays in manpower development in Engineering and Technology, as well as its capacity for value addition to all minerals and metals within and beyond Nigeria. Demonstrating NSUK’s unwavering commitment, she pledged to strategically place the NMDC logo at a conspicuous position on the university’s main campus.
The Vice-Chancellor extended her gratitude to the Director General/Chief Executive of NMDC for accepting the collaboration. She emphasized NSUK’s unique position as a state university in a region renowned for its rich mineral deposits, promising to harness NMDC’s potential to transform relevant university departments. This, she noted, would significantly assist Nasarawa State in effectively utilizing its abundant mineral resources for economic benefit.
In his response, the Director General/Chief Executive of the National Metallurgical Development Centre, Jos, Engr. Professor Linus Asuquo, expressed immense delight in partnering with what he described as a “gateway university” possessing the capacity to revolutionize the economies of both Nasarawa State and the nation at large.
Professor Asuquo, driven by his passion for university education and revamping the Nigerian economy through research and development, reminded the Vice-Chancellor that NMDC readily accepts all university students for Industrial Training and educational visits. He cautioned against the common practice of government institutions merely signing MOUs/MOAs without genuine commitment to implementation.
He assured the Vice-Chancellor that NMDC, as the sole Federal Government Agency mandated with adding value to all minerals and metals in the country, possesses the intrinsic capacity to bring inclusive value to NSUK. Professor Asuquo stressed the crucial need for both NMDC and NSUK to collaboratively explore numerous research opportunities available through TETFund and other international research-oriented institutions and organizations. This, he believes, would allow them to contribute immeasurably to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda.
He reiterated that no government institution or agency can successfully achieve its mandate without some form of collaboration. Reassuring the Vice-Chancellor, Professor Asuquo affirmed NMDC’s readiness to work assiduously to uphold the tenets of the signed Memorandum of Agreement for a mutually beneficial dividend.
Highlight of the event was the signing of the Memorandum of Agreement by the two Chief Executives on behalf of their respective institutions.
Information and Protocol Unit, 2025.