DUTSIN-MA, Katsina State — The Federal University Dutsin-Ma (FUDMA) is moving to build a strategic alliance with Katsina-based industrialist Alhaji Dahiru Barau Mangal, Chairman of the AFDIN Group of Companies, as part of a broader push to elevate the institution into a world-class centre of learning.
The plan took shape on Tuesday, June 30, 2026, when Mangal hosted a FUDMA management delegation led by Vice Chancellor Prof. Mohammed Khalid Othman at a courtesy visit. During the meeting, Mangal pledged his commitment to the university’s growth ambitions and agreed to explore areas where his business empire could support academic development in the state and beyond.
Mangal pointed to FUDMA’s existing relationship with Umaru Musa Yar’adua University as evidence of what synergy between academia and industry can achieve, and promised to pursue every practical avenue to help FUDMA reach what he called its goal of becoming a world-class citadel of learning. He also accepted an invitation to serve as Special Guest at the university’s upcoming 10th and 11th Combined Convocation Ceremony, expected to hold in November or December 2026.
Prof. Othman, addressing the gathering, noted that young people make up roughly 70 percent of Nigeria’s population, underscoring the responsibility universities carry in shaping the country’s future. He described institutions of higher learning as spaces meant to tackle social problems and convert the nation’s youthful population into productive contributors rather than a burden, adding that partnerships aimed at reshaping education to serve industry needs were central to that mission.
The Vice Chancellor also praised Mangal’s charitable record, crediting him with supporting people across different states, ethnic groups and religions, and calling him a “nation builder.” In a notable proposal, Othman urged the businessman to consider endowing a “Dahiru Mangal Professorial Chair” at FUDMA dedicated to academic work on societal development.
Officials say the university currently has a student population of about 40,000 drawn from across Nigeria, with indigenes of host state Katsina making up a significant share of both staff and students.
The proposed partnership with AFDIN Group is expected to open new opportunities for academic-industry collaboration, including potential gains in research funding, infrastructure and student welfare programmes.
