Engr. A.S. Bello, Proprietor and Pro-Chancellor of Mewar International University On 7th February 2026, a team of journalists, including the...
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| Engr. A.S. Bello, Proprietor and Pro-Chancellor of Mewar International University |
On 7th February 2026, a team of journalists, including the Managing Editor of Daily Struggle Newspaper, Ammar M. Rajab, visited the office of Engr. A.S. Bello, Proprietor and Pro-Chancellor of Mewar International University, to conduct an in-depth interview. The discussion focused on the university’s recent matriculation ceremony, its vision, ongoing challenges, and future goals. The interview was carefully transcribed by our Managing Editor for publication.
Can you introduce yourself to our audience?
Engr. A.S.
Bello: I am Engineer Abubakar Sani Bello, the Proprietor and
Pro-Chancellor of Mewar International University, the first Indian university
in Africa, located here in Nasarawa State, Nigeria, along the Abuja–Keffi
Express Road. Thank you.
Do you have any message for the matriculated
students?
Engr. A.S.
Bello: Yes. As I already said during my speech, I advised the students
to be humble and to know that the whole world is waiting for their solutions
and ideas, because at the end of the day, they are the leaders of tomorrow.
Being a student in a university, you already know the reason why you are there,
and you have to do what brought you to the university. I always advise the
students that whenever they are in a university or find themselves in any
institution, they should try as much as they can to do what brought them to that
institution. They already have a specific period to spend in the university,
during which they are working towards achieving something. Therefore, we always
advise them to do their best to ensure they graduate with the best certificate.
What is your vision for the success
of your students and their development?
Engr. A.S. Bello: Yes, our vision is to make sure they become the best
students around the globe. That is why we ensure that we have provided very
good lecturers across all departments. At the same time, we are the only
university in the nation offering a binding course, where we mix our programmes
with Indian universities and culture, so that our students will have more
advantages and ideas.
That is the reason why you can see
that we have some Indian lecturers in our university, because we want to bring
that kind of knowledge that Indian universities have. If you look around the
world and examine the Indian education system, India is among the best in
education. I can boldly say that when you go to many medical centres across the
world, you may find that the MD is an Indian. At the same time, when you look
at the ICT sector, you will also see that many CEOs of those companies are
Indians.
I can give you a simple example here
in our own country. Look at Dangote Group—almost 80 per cent of its directors
are Indians. This is because in India, they have the belief that when they are
doing something, they must make it happen. I think they developed this mindset
through their dedication to education. So we also want our students to be like
them. That is why we are trying to produce such directors and CEOs, especially
across the North.
Sir, during the Cultural Week in
this university, which took place about three days ago, we saw students from
many tribes. How did you achieve this?
Engr. A.S. Bello: As I already informed you, we are trying to bring something
new to the country. As I mentioned earlier, I was once a student in India. When
I was studying there, I realised that I was admitted alongside many people from
different parts of Africa and around the world. So I had a dream that if we
established a university in my country, I would make sure we admitted students
from all across the nation.
So when we started Mewar
International University here, the first thing I did was to ensure that we had
lecturers from across the nation, as well as students from across the country.
I can boldly tell you that Mewar International University has representatives
from all 36 states of Nigeria, both among those studying here and those working
with us.
How do you cater for the welfare of
the students?
Engr. A.S. Bello: We already have residential facilities for our lecturers
and non-academic staff. You can even see that by yourself. At the same time, we
also have hostels, and right now we are building another new hostel with a
target of accommodating almost 1,500 bed spaces.
So, are there any challenges the
institution is facing?
Engr. A.S. Bello: Yes. At the beginning, when we started the university, we
faced a lot of issues with electricity. In 2019, 2020, and 2021, when we
started the university project, there was no light, and we suffered seriously from
electricity problems. Even our partners from India were thinking that it might
not be possible to establish the university, but I kept giving them courage and
confidence that we would find a solution.
At that time, we decided to put much
effort into solar energy, and today almost 75 per cent of our electricity comes
from the solar power we generate. The second challenge we faced was that many
people initially felt the school was far away. But whenever people come here,
they realise that it is a home and a comfortable place to stay.
Now, I believe we no longer face
serious challenges. We have also managed to get another source of electricity
through a line they call the Blue Line. With this, we now enjoy almost 19 hours
of electricity daily, similar to Band A. That is the current situation.
Do you have any specific targets for
the institution?
Engr. A.S. Bello: Yes. One of our major targets is to establish our own red
palm oil refinery, as I already mentioned to you. I realised that in many
universities, when students graduate, there are no concrete plans for them.
That is why one of our key goals is to invest heavily in entrepreneurship, so
that all our students will have something meaningful to do.
This is why we are introducing
cashew plantation projects to generate employment opportunities for the
students. At the same time, we provide comprehensive training in poultry,
fishery, and tailoring, as you can see. We are also collaborating with the University
of Jos, where our students will learn how to produce women’s handbags that are
currently being imported. I have visited there and seen the facilities they
have.
Another target we have is continuous
expansion. When we started admissions, the number of students was small, but
now we have over 2,000 students in the university. Every year, our capacity
continues to increase beyond the previous year.
Sir, in the next five years, where
do you see Mewar International University?
Engr. A.S. Bello: Well, in the next five years, by then, Insha Allah,
we would have already launched our red palm oil refinery, which will generate
billions of naira and enhance the university, making it one of the leading
universities in Africa in terms of production and innovation.
At the same time, at Mewar
International University, we already have a roadmap to invite many African
universities to form a Centre for Research on various diseases. During the
COVID-19 period, when we were establishing this university, I personally sat
down and thought about the fact that a disease affected the whole world, yet
Africa depended entirely on others. We did not even have sufficient research
centres to study where the disease came from or what the appropriate medication
should be.
So, Mewar International University
has a vision to establish such a research centre to support all African
countries.
Do you have any call to the staff
and the community?
Engr. A.S. Bello: Yes. My call to the community is for them to support us. As
you can see, the Emir of Karu, the Emir of Auta Balaifi, and the DPO of Masaka
Division were all present here today. They attended this matriculation because
they see the university as a source of light to the community. Their children
are studying with us, we offer them scholarships, and we are also employing
members of the community.
In addition, many houses belonging
to our neighbours are now occupied by our students, so the community is
benefiting from our presence in the environment.
Sir, why do you have confidence in
this programme?
Engr. A.S. Bello: The confidence I have in Mewar International University is
based on my experience. As I have told you, I was once a student in India. I
have realised that anywhere you go in the world, many successful and
well-established companies have Indian CEOs. Whether you look at medical
centres, ICT, engineering, or other sectors, you will often find Indians
playing key roles.
Even in China, when you see large
companies and check their records, you may find that there is an Indian
engineer or developer involved. That is why I have confidence. I also call on
parents and guardians who usually sponsor their children to study abroad to
bring their children to Mewar International University. This is because we have
a dream to groom their children to become leaders and CEOs who will play
important roles in organisations and companies, just like their counterparts
across the world.
Sir, what is the promise of the university in introducing new courses to
the students?
Engr. A.S. Bello: Well, as you already know, we started in 2021, and at that
time we began with about 11 programmes. But as of today, we have expanded
significantly. Initially, we did not have Law, International Relations, or
Public Administration, but now we have already introduced all these courses.
At the same time, we have almost
completed preparations to start Nursing and Midwifery. We are also about to introduce
Medical Laboratory Science, Radiography, and Physiotherapy. Physiotherapy is
among the programmes we plan to launch in 2026, Insha Allah, this year.
What is your message to the students
who matriculated?
Engr. A.S. Bello: I urge the students to be dedicated and to understand that
they are here to earn a certificate. That certificate represents their future.
What they do during these four years will determine how their lives will turn
out.
These four years you will spend here
are meant to build the next 100 years of your life. As a university, we will do
our best to ensure that you achieve what you want to achieve and become what
you want to become.
Does the university have any
provision for scholarships, especially for students who plan to go abroad or
those who want to study in a more affordable institution?
Engr. A.S. Bello: As I already informed you, we operate a blended programme.
We have a window where, if you study for one or two years here, we can assist
you in moving to India to complete your programme.
Regarding scholarships, as you have
already asked, I believe—if I am not mistaken—that we are the first private
university in the country to start with scholarships. The owners of this
university are not waiting for the institution to generate money for personal
gains such as buying houses or cars. You already know that.
We thank God, and we also thank His
Excellency, Dr. Engr. Rabi’u Musa Kwankwaso. When the university started, he
sponsored almost 148 students nationwide. These scholarships were given without
collecting a single penny from the parents. The students came from different
parts of the country. We selected two females and two males from each state.
The first batch has already
graduated and has gone for their NYSC. The second batch is set to graduate this
year. At the same time, the portal is now open for the DDF scholarship, and
applications are currently ongoing.
Thank you, sir.
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