President Muhammadu Buhari will next week lay the foundations of the University of Transportation in his hometown – Daura, Katsina State.

The university’s construction is expected to cost $50m (N18bn), according to information on the website of the National Universities Commission.

Also, the project is being handled by the China Civil and Construction Corporation, according to the Personal Assistant to the President on New Media, Mr Bashir Ahmad.

“Next week, President Muhammadu Buhari will lay the foundations of the University of Transportation in Daura, Katsina State.

“The university will be built by China Civil and Construction Corporation and it will be the first specialised institution of its kind,” Ahmad said on Friday through his verified Twitter handle @BashirAhmaad.

The foundation laying of the university takes place about a year after the Federal Executive Council approved its construction.

The Minister of Transportation, Mr Rotimi Amaechi, said the project was part of the Federal Government’s efforts to develop quality manpower that would manage railways and other transportation facilities across the country.

Amaechi said another Transportation University might be built in Rivers State to meet the growing demand of manpower in the transportation sector.

He said CCECC would have started work on the project at Daura if the state governor provided land for it on time.

Amaechi said there were young Nigerians studying Railway Engineering in China on scholarship, adding that upon the completion of their studies, they would be deployed to teach in the transportation universities for some time before engaging in other endeavours.