BEIJING-The China Railway Construction Corporation, CRCC, Limited, has said they’re planning to build a university in Nigeria.

That’s not the best part. The best part is that 90% of the staff will be Nigerians.

While meeting with Nigerian journalists in Beijing, China, the Executive President of the company, Cao Baogang, said Nigeria was China’s most cherished market.

On why they are doing it, he said it was a social responsibility geared towards promoting quality education in Nigeria.

CRCC intends to build the university either in Lagos State or Rivers State, for training of its local staff and other Nigerians.

He said:

“In China, we have a university called Beijing Jiaotong University, Chengdu. And because we fully support technology transfer, we will do our best to replicate another Jiaotong university in Nigeria.”

Beijing Jiaotong University is one of the best schools in China, because it was part of a “Project 211”, carried out by the Chinese government to boost research capabilities in the country’s universities.

Back to Baogang, he spoke about the Kaduna-Abuja railyway project which was completed in July of 2016, costing about $850 million. There’s also the part where a $1.2 billion loan from China-EXIM Bank financed new structures in Abujam Lagos, Port Harcourt, and Kaduna Airports.

According to Vanguard, the Vice President, China Civil Engineering and Construction Company, CCECC, a subsidiary of CRCC, Mr. Zhang Wenjin, also had stuff to say.

He said CRCC was the major investor in the Lagos Lekki Free Zone, saying the Free Zone was an important platform for Chinese and international companies. A project he believes that when complete, will boost Nigeria’s drive for industrialisation.

To be honest, if the Chinese mean what they’re saying, we hope that University gets to happen very soon.

Pulseng