- Says merging will further reduce access to education
From Timothy Olanrewaju, Maiduguri
Borno Governor Babagana Zulum has appealed to the Federal Government not to merge the Nigerian Army University situated in the state.
Zulum on Thursday in Maiduguri said scraping and merging the university as announced by the Federal Government this week as part of the implementation of Oronsaye Report on public service reforms, would further worsen access to education in the area still grappling with poor education.
“I want to appeal to the Federal Government on the merger of the Army University Biu with the National University Commission. Borno State has been facing serious crisis for the past 15 years and as a result of this, many of our child ren couldn’t have access to educational,” he disclosed in an interview with journalists.
On Monday, the Federal Executive Council (FEC) approved and announced the scrap of some government agencies as recommended in the Stephen Oransaye report on public service reform.
The Nigerian Army University established in 2018 and located at Biu, Borno southern town will now be scrapped and merged with the Defence Academy in Kaduna, in the northwest.
Zulum in his first reaction to the development, said the Army University Biu was is very important to the people of Borno and neighbouring states.
He said the institution has been providing greater opportunities for students in the area. He maintained that many students will be denied access to quality education should the government scrap the university.
“They should allow the university to continue because of importance of education in this part of the country where Boko Haram is saying education is forbidden,” he urged.
He said scraping of the university will further accentuates the insurgents’ wild ideological disposition.
He also counselled against scrap of the National Centre for Agricultural Mechanisation (NCAM) located in Ilorin, Kwara State.
He said he visited the agency recently and saw a lot of agricultural machinery being fabricated. He said the nation needs such productive agency now to tackle the prevailing food crisis.