FROM: PAUL ORUDE, BAUCHI
A British citizen and the Curator of View 4 International Photography, in Liverpool, Mr. Simon Mac Dougall, has donated digital cameras and equipment to the Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University (ATBU), Bauchi.
Presenting the items to the Vice Chancellor of the University, Prof. Saminu Abdulrahman Ibrahim, on Friday, Mac Dougall, who is married to a Nigerian woman, said the gesture was to assist students in expansion of their studies and practice in photography.
Mac Dougall, a father of two, said: “I have an Anglo-Nigerian family, my wife is from Bauchi. My parents’ in-laws are Academic doctors at ATBU. I have visited Nigeria three times in two years.
“This donation is because of my ATBU link with my family, a perfect opportunity to give back to ATBU for what they have done for my Bauchi family, collaboration for academic expansion.
“We expect and we hope that from this small seed that great trees will grow, the students will be inspired, they will learn new skills, and share knowledge for their skills, to produce fine Nigeria photographic work”
He said last March, View 4 international Photography, carried out exhibition in Nigeria which featured artists from all around the world, and included Bauchi students from ATBU who entered the competition.
He said: “The March exhibition, which will expand again this year, is symptomatic of the need for direction from all universities to have equipment, to have the vision and to allow students use their creative talents.
“This year we are in discussion with the National Museum in Lagos and Abuja. We have been in touch with the Director and we have plans to go to Abuja this year. We also have plans to exhibit in Australia and Japan and Nigeria will be part of this process.
“With this equipment, we hope that this will achieve this purpose. I hand it to you with great pleasure and will be interested to see in future years, to return and to see the small seed being sown expand and produce quality work”
Receiving the equipment, Professor Abdulrahman who was in company with the Registrar of the university, Dr Ahmed G. Hassan and other top management officers of ATBU, thanked Mac Dougall for the gesture.
The VC said: “The university is pleased that we have been able to get this intervention from Mr Mac Dougall, and this actually tells about the issues- he is married to one of us, his wife is a daughter of one of our colleagues’ here, then the issue of collaboration whereby there was an exhibition and ATBU featured, and then there is the issue of alumni angle which is important because his wife Ijeoma is an alumni of ATBU and I believe those three issues brought together to see that we are seeing today, getting donation of digital equipment for our Industrial Design and IT departments”
Professor Ibrahim assured that the items donated by Mr Dougall to the university would be put to good use by ensuring that the students use them to develop their talents and projects.
He used the opportunity to call on other alumni to come to the aid of the university as government cannot do it all, stressing: “I really want to ask them to come to support this university with donations- either monetary donations or equipment donation to support the university. They have to give back part of what they have gained from ATBU.”