By Abdullahi Alhassan
Borno State Governor, Prof. Babagana Umara Zulum, has directed the immediate implementation of measures to reposition the Mohammed Goni College of Legal and Islamic Studies and its Higher Islamic College in Maiduguri.
Zulum said the intervention would focus on upgrading infrastructure, strengthening institutional administration and improving access to education, particularly for disadvantaged residents of the state.
The governor spoke at the Government House, Maiduguri, while receiving the report of a 10-member visitation panel constituted to assess the affairs, management and operations of the institution.
Commending the panel for what he described as a thorough and impartial assessment, Zulum assured the committee that its recommendations would not be left on the shelves.
“I want to commend the chairman, members of the committee, provost, management team, and staff of the institution, and I want to assure you that the report of this committee shall be implemented very, very, very soon,” he said.
The governor disclosed that he had personally visited the college twice in recent months to gain first-hand knowledge of its condition.
He said the resilience of students, many of whom come from economically disadvantaged backgrounds, was particularly striking, noting that lecturers had continued teaching despite the institution’s challenges.
Zulum identified inadequate Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) facilities and the institution’s exclusion from the Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFund) scheme among concerns brought to his attention during the visits.
According to him, the state government would commence rehabilitation of the institution within days as part of efforts to create a more conducive environment for teaching and learning.
He also backed the recommendation for the establishment of a Governing Council for the college, saying a stronger governance structure was necessary to prevent institutional decline and provide effective oversight.
The governor further expressed optimism that the expansion and rehabilitation of the Higher Islamic College could significantly increase student enrolment and provide educational opportunities for out-of-school women within the Maiduguri Metropolitan Council area.
“The school has the capacity to recruit not fewer than 10,000 students, even the Higher Islamic section. I think we shall do this one,” Zulum said.
He added that the proposed renovation of the expansive Higher Islamic wing was already being considered in response to the findings of the visitation panel.
Presenting the report, Chairman of the Visitation Panel, Alhaji Mohammed Abatcha, said the committee found the college’s administrative and management structures functional but identified serious weaknesses in leadership and decision-making processes.
The panel also expressed concerns over staff and student welfare, physical and administrative infrastructure, compliance with directives from supervisory authorities, as well as financial management and resource utilisation.
Abatcha said the panel consequently made six major recommendations aimed at strengthening the institution.
Among them, he said, were reforms to the leadership and decision-making structures, improved staff development and training, and the introduction of comprehensive systems for budgeting, accounting and financial reporting.
The recommendations, he added, were designed to strengthen administration, improve teaching and learning and promote greater accountability in the management of the institution’s resources.
The event was attended by the Acting Chief of Staff, Dr Babagana Mustapha Mallumbe; the Commissioners for Education and Women Affairs; the Permanent Secretary, Government House; and other senior government officials.
