Borno State Governor, Professor Babagana Umara Zulum, has promised to reform and upgrade facilities at the Mohammed Goni College of Legal and Islamic Studies and its Higher Islamic College in Maiduguri, to expand access to education for more residents of the state.
Zulum made the pledge on Monday while receiving the report of a 10-man visitation panel set up to review the college’s activities, at the Government House, Maiduguri.
The Governor commended the visitation committee for its thoroughness, noting that the panel carried out its assignment “without fear or favour.” He assured that the recommendations contained in the report would be implemented soon.
“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,” Zulum said.
Governor Zulum disclosed that he had visited the college twice in recent months to assess conditions on the ground personally. He said he was moved by the resilience of students, many of whom come from underprivileged backgrounds.
He noted that despite limited financial resources, lecturers were teaching to the best of their ability while students strove to keep up with academic activities.
Among the concerns raised by students during his visits, the Governor said, were inadequate Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) facilities and the college’s exclusion from the Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFund) scheme, issues he pledged to address as part of a planned rehabilitation exercise expected to begin within days.
He also endorsed the panel’s recommendation to constitute a Governing Council to steer the college away from decline, describing it as a good idea that would receive his support, alongside broader institutional backing for management.
The Governor said improved facilities at the Higher Islamic section could draw in more students, including out-of-school women within the Maiduguri Metropolitan Council area who currently lack access to education due to poverty.
“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, adding that renovation of the expansive Higher Islamic wing was already under consideration, following the panel’s findings.
Presenting the panel’s findings, the Chairman of the Visitation Panel, Alhaji Mohammed Abatcha, said the panel found that while the college’s administrative and management structure remains functional, its leadership and decision-making processes require a complete overhaul.
The panel also raised concerns about staff and student welfare, physical and administrative infrastructure, and the institution’s compliance with directives from supervisory bodies, describing the college’s financial application and resource management as weak.
To address these gaps, the Chairman said the panel put forward six key recommendations, including strengthening leadership and decision-making processes to build a more effective administration.
It also called for staff development and training to improve teaching and learning, as well as the adoption of comprehensive financial budgeting, accounting, and reporting systems.
The event was attended by the acting Chief of Staff, Dr Babagana Mustapha Mallumbe; Commissioners of Education, Local Government and Emirate Affairs and Women Affairs; Permanent Secretary, Government House; among other personalities.
