The Federal University of Transportation, Daura, under the leadership of its pinoeer Vice-Chancellor, Hon. Prof. Umar Adam Katsayal, mni, has visited Savannah Centre for Diplomacy, Democracy and Development (SCDDD) in its efforts to build students' capacity for national development.
The visit was made on Monday, 19th October, 2026, in Abuja by the Vice-Chancellor and some staff of the institution.
Briefing the Executive Director of the SCDDD on the purpose of the visit, the Vice-Chancellor said that the University, being the first and only University of Transportation in Nigeria, was among the few purposely established Universities in the country.
He informed the Executive Director of the renegotiation between the Federal Government of Nigeria and the China Civil Engineering Construction Company (CCECC) that resulted to the establishment of the University in Daura, Katsina State, Nigeria.
He stated that the University was established to build human capacity and skills in transportation in consideration of importance of transportation to national development.
According to the Vice-Chancellor, the University had successfully took-off and currently has 400 level students, adding that, soon, students would start graduating which means production of highly skilled manpower for the overall development of Nigeria.
"As Nigerian government continues to build more railway stations, there is the need for skilled manpower to man and effectively maintain them.
"Many private individuals are venturing into e-vehicle businesses, as such they will need well trained individuals to manage them for efficiency and safety of our environments.
"It is for those purposes and many more, that we are trying our possible best to produce the best manpower for Nigeria and Nigerians.
"Whoever graduated from the FUTD, will not be looking for job but rather the job will be looking for him/her.
"We are here today, with the full knowledge of your engagement into various forms of researches as one of our mandates is also to engage in meaningful researches.
"We are here to explore the possibility of partnership", the Vice-Chancellor said.
Responding, the Executive Director of the SCDDD, Ambassador Sani Bala Saulawa welcomed the Vice-Chancellor and his team to the SCDDD office.
He said that the key focus of the SCDDD were Diplomacy, Democracy, and Development with mandates to carryout research that would proffer understanding of Democracy Studies and its growth, management of conflicts including alternative dispute resolution mechanism and sustainable growth and development in Nigeria, West Africa and the rest of the continent.
"To publish periodically, research studies on the political, economic and social facets of Nigeria and the African continent; to collect and collate data on ethnic and inter-state conflicts in Africa for their management.
"To carryout consultancy projects for Nigerian, African Governments, Institutions and/or parastatals; to provide humanitarian as well as relevant training services where needed; and to conceptualise and develop intervention programmes as responses to research outcomes of the centre", he said.
He added that the centre had impacted positively across many states of the federation and had conducted trainings for students across many institutions of learning, especially on diplomacy.
He expressed the readiness of the centre to partner with the University with particular interest on issues that would ultimately bring about Nigeria's economic development as it relates to transportation.
He said that the centre was founded by Professor Ibrahim Gambari since 1993 and had within the period undertaken so many projects that have contributed to the peaceful co-existence of Nigerians and Nigeria and other countries.
He then provided some policy documents to the Vice-Chancellor to study and identify areas of interest for mutual benefits of both parties.
Umar Usman
Chief Information and Communications Officer
20th October, 2026
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