“In 2018, 45 students from the faculty of engineering in Ahmadu Bello University were sent from 300 level to study railway engineering at the Central South University of China (CSU). They completed their studies some days ago with amazing results”, the Nigerian Railway Corporation announced this good tidings on its Twitter handle today Thursday, 11th of June, 2020.
This set of students are the first batch of beneficiaries from the innovative educational programme by Ahmadu Bello University (ABU), Zaria and Central South University (CSU), China tagged 3+2. 3+2, representing a strategic splitting of the five years required for the award of Bachelor’s degree in engineering between the two universities which simultaneously leads to dual degrees for deserving students.
The programme is designed to award two degrees to selected top class 300 level students of Mechanical and Civil Engineering Departments of ABU, Zaria who are upon their selection sent to Central South University to complete the remaining two years in China. The students of Civil Engineering would be awarded Bachelor of Engineering (Civil Eng.) from ABU, Zaria and Bachelor of Engineering (Railway Eng.) from SCU, China after successful completion of the 3+2 programme.
Similarly, students from Mechanical Engineering Department would be awarded Bachelor of Engineering (Mechanical Eng.) from ABU, Zaria and Bachelor of Engineering (Equipment and Control Eng.) from SCU, China after successful completion.
During the farewell programme held in honour of the students in 2018 before their departure to China, the then Director of Academic Planning ABU, Prof. M.F Isiaku reminded the audience that Nigeria enjoyed the services of railway system under the colonial administration and post colonial period as the system was functioning efficiently with the technical supports of the colonial masters.
When the support was withdrawn, railway system began to collapse gradually until it grounded to a complete halt, robbing young Nigerians the benefits of enjoying such services.
In the popular article of Prof. O.K Othman, ABU Zaria’s Golden Handshake with China: Transferring Railway Technology to Nigeria, he said: “As a citadel of learning, ABU, Zaria studied the situation and the trend of event in the transportation sector particularly the railway technology, took advantage of the government commitment to revive the railway sector and then conceived the 3+2 programme.
The programme is a product of strategic thinking of the eggheads of the ABU academia aimed at developing indigenous railway technology and manpower in Nigeria at shortest possible time.”
With these new crops of graduate trained in two worlds and armed with topnotch skills, it is hoped that Nigeria will lead African nations in the development of railway technology and toward the realization of the AU’s vision 2040 to create an integrated high speed train network that connects all African capitals and commercial centres on the continent, facilitating the movement of goods, people and services.