NIFES auditorium to cost N500m —National director

THE Nigeria Fellowship of Evangelical Students (NIFES) has said that it will require about N500 million to complete its 10,000-seating capacity conference centre auditorium located in Kwali, FCT Abuja, appealing to public-spirited Nigerians to support the course.

National director of NIFES, Mr Rex Onuh, made this known at the 50th anniversary celebration of the fellowship, saying the building houses training centre, dormitories and chalets, and that the construction had commenced since 2003.

Onuh said NIFES has trained over two million Nigerian youths in the last 50 years, saying the fellowship has been a key player in the development of the nation’s manpower through highly skilled and credible scholars who have served and are still serving the nation in different areas.

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He said NIFES has made and continues to make tremendous contributions to Nigeria’s human capital development, and is truly a movement with presence in all the 36 states of the federation, including the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) and close to 30,000 Christian students involved on various campuses.

Onuh lamented that Nigerian campuses are volatile and fraught with many vices and all kinds of irresponsibility and evil practices manifesting in the form of cultism, drug and substance abuse, sexual immorality and examination malpractices, among others.

“That is why we are investing time and resources to build leaders of tomorrow who will eventually contribute their quota in building the Nigeria of our dream,” he said.

The chairman, Central Working Committee of NIFES at 50, Professor Sam Ale, said the event was also to raise funds for the completion of the auditorium in addition to establishing an endowment fund that will be put into dividend-yielding investments for ploughing back into operational cost such as salaries and training as part of enhanced corporate sustainability plan.

“I am asking you to go out of your way to help us achieve the targeted amount of N500 million by using your network of influence to reach friends in your network who love to give to charity,” he said.

Chairman of the occasion, General Martin Luther Agwai (rtd), said he was glad that NIFES was involved in the training of youths who are leaders of tomorrow.

NIFES was established in 1968 as an indigenous, national, interdenominational Christian organization committed to the task of evangelism, discipleship and leadership development among students of institutions of higher learning in Nigeria.