Borno State governor, Babagana Zulum, has said collapsing the Nigerian Army University Biu as a faculty within the Nigerian Defence Academy (NDA) in Kaduna State would be like boosting Boko Haram terrorists’ ideology against western education in the North-East region.
Zulum who made the observation in an interview with journalists yesterday in Maiduguri appealed to the federal government to reconsider its decision to scrap the Nigerian Army University Biu, following recommendations from the Oronsaye Committee Report.
The comprehensive 800-page Oronsaye report, which has prompted the government of President Bola Tinubu to pursue the scrapping and merging of 220 out of 541 government agencies, has identified the university as a candidate for consolidation into the Nigeria Defence Academy, Kaduna.
Governor Zulum acknowledged the federal government’s laudable steps to implement the Oronsaye report for better governance efficiency, but also highlighted the unique condition of Borno State.
“That notwithstanding, we the people of Borno and the Northeast, are appealing to the federal government to reconsider the decision to merge the Army University with the NDA.
“The decisions taken by the federal government on the Oronsaye report is a very good one, especially on the issue of merger of some federal institutions but our concern is on the Army University Biu that has been proposed to merge with the Nigeria Defence Academy,” he stated.
The governor emphasized the critical role the Nigerian Army University Biu plays in the region, which has been beleaguered by armed conflict for 14 years, severely affecting educational access.
“This university is very important and critical to the development of the people of Borno state and even beyond,” Zulum said, urging the government to either maintain the university’s status or allow it to transition into a conventional university under the Federal Ministry of Education.
According to the governor, the town of Biu serves as a strategic educational hub, not only for the people of Borno, but also for neighbouring states such as Gombe, Adamawa, Taraba and Yobe.
The establishment of the Nigerian Army University Biu was an initiative by the then Chief of Army Staff, Lt Gen Tukur Buratai (rtd) in 2016, envisioned as a centre for addressing the technological and operational challenges faced by the Nigerian Army through research and innovation.
