CEOAFRICA.com reports that an Information and Communication Technology Centre worth N600 m has been donated to Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife in Nigeria by Skye Bank Plc.Skye Bank Plc.

 The building which was officially handed over to the Vice Chancellor of the institution, Professor Bamitale Omole by the Group Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of the bank, Mr kehinde Durosinmi-Etti,  is 700-seater capacity centre.

Mr. Durosinmi-Etti said N150m was spent on the construction of the centre, while N450m was used for procurement and installation of equipment. “It is our desire to support causes that are of benefit to aid the extension of the frontiers of education. The application of information technology in our education has assumed a more important dimension as it confers several advantages,” he concluded

In his address, Prof. Omole said the centre would be utilised to harness modern technology for effective and efficient learning and research. “The problem of large classes will soon be a thing of the past as lecturers and students can interact real-time online,” Omole said.

 Speaking at the occasion, the Pro Chancellor, OAU, Prof. Rowland Ndoma-Egba, said, “With this magnanimity from Skye Bank, the university should maintain its lead in ICT education with a view to developing software that are technologically advanced, but purposely indigenous.”

He spoke further that, “OAU is coming to a point that we should be able to produce indigenous computers, iPads, iPods and other gadgets to address the challenges facing Nigeria.”

 The ICT centre has a tele-presence unit; cloud computing laboratory; software studio and Internet access laboratory.