By Ali Kakaki
The President of the Maryam Abacha American University (MAAUN) Group of Universities, Professor Adamu Abubakar Gwarzo, has described investment in education as the most enduring path to nation-building and sustainable community development.
Professor Gwarzo, the Founder and President of the Maryam Abacha American University (MAAUN), with campuses in Maradi, Niger Republic, and Kano, Nigeria, as well as the Franco-British International University (FBIU), Kaduna, and the Canadian University, Abuja, made the remarks at the wedding ceremony of Gaddafi Shehu Uba Sharada and his bride, Sadiya Bashir Nasidi. Gaddafi is one of the beneficiaries of Professor Gwarzo’s educational sponsorship programme at MAAUN, Maradi.
According to him, true legacy is not measured by the number of magnificent buildings or material possessions one acquires, but by the number of lives transformed through education and opportunities that empower people to realise their full potential.
“Building a legacy is not about erecting grand buildings for people to say, ‘This belongs to so-and-so.’ A true legacy is built by investing in people. When you build a community, you will ultimately reap the rewards of the good you have sown.”
To illustrate his point, Professor Gwarzo recounted an encounter during a visit to the United Nations Headquarters, where he was warmly greeted by a young man from the Niger Republic. When he inquired how they knew each other, the young man revealed that he had been one of Professor Gwarzo’s students at MAAUN in Maradi.
He said the former student accompanied him throughout the United Nations complex with remarkable respect and admiration—an experience that reaffirmed his belief that investing in education yields the greatest and most lasting returns for society.
“Supporting people through education is synonymous with building a nation and strengthening communities. This is the cause that philanthropists and all well-meaning members of society should embrace,” he stated.
Professor Gwarzo called on affluent individuals, corporate organisations, and the wider public to support the education of young people, stressing that sponsoring even a single student at the primary, secondary, or tertiary level represents a meaningful investment in the future of the nation.
In recognition of the groom’s exemplary character and conduct, Professor Gwarzo presented Gaddafi Shehu Uba Sharada with a gift of ₦5 million to support him as he embarks on married life.
Gaddafi Shehu Uba Sharada is among the students whose education was sponsored by Professor Gwarzo at MAAUN, Maradi. He currently works with a commercial bank in Nigeria’s Federal CapitalTerritory, Abuja.