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The National Universities Commission, NUC, on Monday approved the proposed Borno State University, with an express nod for it to commence admission of students ahead the 2017 academic calendar. The university was conceived in the twilight of former governor Ali Sheriff’s administration in 2010. Despite the efforts of the present government led by Governor Kashim Shettima, the incessant activities of Boko Haram made it difficult for the university to commence operations.
On September 10, 2010, Mr. Sheriff signed a bill for the establishment of the Borno State University after the late Nur Alkali-led technical committee on the establishment of the institution submitted its report.
Former governor Sheriff appointed the committee in 2010 to look at the viability of establishing a state university.
On November 7, having fulfilled the requirements needed for the commencement of operations and after the security situation in the state improved, Mr. Shettima led a 50-member delegation to the headquarters of the NUC to demand final approval.
The governor’s spokesperson, Isa Gusau, said in a statement that the new university will be remembered as one of the major legacies of Mr. Shettima, the sixth democratically elected governor of the state.
“With the approval, the Borno State University, a legacy of Governor Shettima’s administration, is free to begin recruitment of staff and admission of students which the Borno Government is planning for January, 2017”, said Mr. Gusau.
“Governor Shettima was at the NUC on Monday alongside a “powerful delegation” comprising senators, members of House of Representatives, almost 50 professors who hail from Borno State, state lawmakers, elders and other stakeholders with request for formal recognition of the State University by the NUC.” The spokesperson quoted Mr. Shettima as saying that in the first phase of physical development of the new institution, his administration awarded contracts of N3.4 billion “for construction 5 faculties of science, social science, management science, arts and education.”
“At full maturity, the university is expected to have 12 faculties, 77 departments, 281 undergraduates and school of post graduate studies as well as basic and remedial studies.
“We have made giant progress and to quote some members of the NUC’s technical team that saw things for themselves, “many state universities took off with far less than what we have seen. The Borno State University has more than what it requires for takeoff by January 2017.”
Mr. Shettima lamented that education has suffered a setback in Borno State as result of severe attacks by Boko Haram.
“In the educational sector alone, a total of 5, 335 classrooms and other academic buildings were destroyed by insurgents across 512 primary schools, 38 secondary schools and two tertiary institutions in Borno State,” he said.
The Executive Secretary of the NUC, Abubakar Rasheed, presented a letter of recognition of the new university to the governor.
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