Borno State Governor, Babagana Zulum, has urged the Federal Government to reconsider merging Army University Biu in Borno with the Nigeria Defence Academy in Kaduna State. 

Mr Zulum also urged the government to allow the National Centre for Agricultural Mechanisation, Ilorin, Kwara State to remain as it is instead of being a department in the Ministry of Agriculture. 

The governor made the call in an interview with newsmen on Thursday in Maiduguri.

He said that the Army University Biu, which is a conventional university, should be allowed to remain so or be handed over to the Ministry of Education to continue in that capacity if the Army is not interested in having a university. 

According to him, the university has been playing a critical role in the education of students in the North-East, particularly Borno, where education was seriously affected by insurgency for over a decade.  

“This university is important to the people of Borno and the North-East in general. I am appealing to the President to look into this issue. Second, I want to make a case for the National Centre for Agricultural Mechanisation which has an important role to play at this material time that FG is looking towards promoting food security.

“NCAM is the only centre saddled with the responsibility of fabricating agricultural tools and implements in Nigeria,” Mr Zulum said.

He expressed the hope that a technical committee would be set up to review some of the measures taken. 

The Army University Biu was established in 2018.

(NAN)