November 26, (THEWILL) – Ahead of his 86th birthday celebration, which come up next month, Lt General Theophilus Yakubu Danjuma (Retd.), a former Chief of Army Staff has donated a whooping sum of $1,363,108.43 to the College of Medicine, University of Ibadan towards the building of a hostel block for students.
It is the biggest donation by an individual to the institution so far. The donation, which came through the T.Y. Danjuma Foundation, was in response to a request by the college towards the realisation of the student hostel building project. The donation will be used to build a 280-room students’ hostel, encompassing blocks A, B, C, D, E, and F, alongside a utility building. The building will be designed to house a total of 664 students. The building of the hostel is critical to the re-accreditation of the College of Medicine, University of Ibadan, by the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria (MDCN).
The hostel building project, which is in partnership with the Ibadan College of Medicine Alumni Association (ICOMAA) Worldwide, is an alumni-driven initiative that will be done in phases.
Known for his hair-raising philanthropic gestures, Danjuma, who once declared that he had so much money than he could ever spend, amassed his enormous fortune through shipping and petroleum. His COMET Shipping Agency which was established in 1984 acted as an agent for the Nigerian American Line, NAL. He also established South Atlantic Petroleum, SAPETRO, the company that was among the few who got an Oil Processing License many years ago. Today he owns quite a few oil blocks.Despite being a retired military officer, Danjuma has enjoyed numerous political appointments with different governments in the country. He was appointed the chairperson on the investigative committee on the Warri conflict, Minister of Defence to President Olusegun Obasanjo’s cabinet and some other important committees in the country. Many do not know that Danjuma is a philanthropist, his foundation, TY Danjuma has provided succour for a lot of indigent people across the country.
Ivory Ukonu is a versatile journalist with many years of experience, with entertainment and society reporting as her area of core competence.
