New Year Gift: MAAUN Founder Donates Abuja Facility To Host PRNigeria Academy

In a major boost to media capacity building and professional training in Nigeria, the Founder and President of the (MAAUN) Group, Professor Adamu Abubakar Gwarzo, has donated a fully equipped facility in Abuja to serve as the permanent host of the PRNigeria Academy.

The donation was announced during an unscheduled visit by the renowned education entrepreneur to the PRNigeria Centre in Kano, where he inspected ongoing media training activities and newly completed residential facilities. The Abuja facility is expected to function as a strategic hub, offering modern training spaces alongside residential accommodation for Young Communication Fellows and participants in the Academy’s specialised professional programmes.

The Chief Executive Officer of (IMPR), Alhaji Yishau Shuaib, described the donation as both a “pleasant surprise” and an “incredible New Year gift” to Nigeria’s media and communication community.

According to Shuaib, the gesture followed Professor Gwarzo’s tour of the newly completed PRNigeria hostel in Kano—designed to accommodate fellows during intensive training sessions—as well as a similar residential project currently under construction at the organisation’s Ilorin centre.

“When he realised that we did not yet have a comparable residential training facility at our Abuja headquarters, he made the commitment immediately,” Shuaib disclosed.

“We were truly short of words to appreciate him—not only for this singular gesture, but for his consistent and far-reaching investment in education, particularly across Northern Nigeria,” he added.

Shuaib made the remarks during a public lecture organised in honour of Professor Gwarzo’s 48th birthday at the PRNigeria Centre in Kano, noting that the donation further reinforces the educationist’s reputation as a transformative force in African higher education.

Chairman of the IMPR Board,Dr Sule Yau Sule , said the partnership between PRNigeria Academy and the MAAUN Group would help bridge the gap between academic theory and professional media practice.

“This collaboration reflects the growing role of private-sector intervention in strengthening Nigeria’s national workforce through specialised skill acquisition and professional training,” he said.

The donation comes shortly after Professor Gwarzo was honoured as Edupreneur of the Year at the 2025 Arewa Stars Awards, while Mass Communication students of MAAUN also clinched honours at recent Campus Journalism and Young Communicator awards.

In his remarks, the President of MAAUN Kano, Professor Mohammad Israr, disclosed that the university had recorded several milestones, including becoming the first institution in Northern Nigeria to secure professional corporate membership of the (NIPR).

He described the achievement as evidence of the university’s commitment to ethical communication and professional excellence, adding that the Mass Communication Department remains focused on producing industry-ready graduates.

The public lecture, themed “AI and the Emerging Trends of Online Newspapers: Reflections on the Ethics of Journalism,” examined the growing influence of artificial intelligence on media practice and the need to uphold professional standards in the digital age.

Delivering the keynote address, award-winning PRNigeria fact-checker and open-source intelligence specialist, Muhaama Dahiru Lawal, warned that journalism is entering a hyper-realistic information era, where a growing proportion of content consumed by the public is synthetic or AI-generated.

He noted that AI-generated videos, images and audio clips are increasingly being used to spread misinformation, particularly during security crises and politically sensitive periods, sometimes amplified by online news platforms operating with weak editorial controls.

Similarly, Chairman of the Adamu Abubakar Gwarzo Foundation, Dr. Musa Sufi, cautioned journalists against over-dependence on artificial intelligence, stressing that technology should complement—not replace—professional competence.

“AI is here to help professionals do their work better, but it cannot replace human judgment and skills,” Sufi said. “Journalists must continue to improve themselves and remain capable, even without technological tools.”

The convener of the event, Adnan Mukhtar, Chief Executive Officer of Adnan Mukhtar and Associates, said the programme was organised to honour his mentor, Professor Gwarzo, whom he described as a distinguished journalist, academic and philanthropist.

According to Mukhtar, Professor Gwarzo’s personal investment in education and human capital development—culminating in the establishment of MAAUN—remains rare and exemplary in Northern Nigeria.The public lecture and commemorative event brought together media professionals, academics and public relations practitioners from across the country.

Professor Gwarzo is the pioneer of the MAAUN Group of Universities, with thriving campuses in Kano, Nigeria, and Maradi, Niger Republic. Beyond institutional development, he has expanded access to education through the Adamu Abubakar Gwarzo Foundation, which has awarded thousands of scholarships to indigent students across the region.

By PRNigeria