From Aloysius Attah, Onitsha
Nnamdi Azikiwe University, UNIZIK, Awka, has unveiled the names of 64 students of the institution, who recently benefited from the Confucius Institute to study in the university in China.
An ecstatic UNIZIK Vice Chancellor, Prof. Joseph Ahaneku, disclosed the names yesterday while hosting the Chinese Ambassador to Nigeria, Zhou Ping Jian, at the Awka campus of the university.
He said the gesture underscored the growing partnership between the university and the People’s Republic of China.
The VC said that UNIZIK was the first university in the sub Saharan Africa to host the Confucius Institute, where exchange of language and culture takes place. He said the partnership, which spanned close to 10 years had seen over 180 students awarded scholarship to study in various universities in China.
He noted that through the Confucius Institute, the university had ordered its steps to mainstream in Chinese commerce, business, entrepreneurship, and technology among others.
In his remarks, the Chinese envoy thanked the VC for the warm reception and hospitality the university accorded him since his arrival, adding that Nigeria to him was a home away from home.
He disclosed that the two countries shared a lot of similarities ranging from being the most populous nations in their respective continents to becoming the largest economies respectively.