Governor Babagana Umara Zulum of Borno State has suspended the entire management of the State-owned Ramat Polytechnic in Maiduguri for a period of six months after he paid a surprise visit and found out that workshops and laboratories of the institution were no longer functioning.
The Governor visited the Polytechnic around 9:00am and found most of the laboratories out of use, with some covered by cobwebs and rodents roaming around due to neglect.
He assessed all infrastructure and learning conditions and thereafter, directed the State’s Commissioner of Higher Education, Science, Technology and Innovation, Dr. Babagana Mallumbe, to take over the affairs of the School immediately.
“As far as I am concerned, this Polytechnic is dead. Nothing is working. The workshops are not in existence, the mechanical workshop is not working, the agricultural workshop is not working, and likewise the entrepreneurship centre is not working. The School is facing myriads of problems, ranging from lack of funding and commitment. As a former student of this polytechnic, a former rector, I have moral stakes in this polytechnic. Insha’Allah, I will not allow this polytechnic to rot during my era as Governor of Borno State. I will do everything possible within my reach to ensure the functionality of this institution ,” Governor Zulum said.”
He said the ministry should ensure that all the workshops and the laboratories were put back to use as soon as possible, while the Entrepreneurship Centre should immediately be put back to use as well.
He said while he was serving in the institution as the Polytechnic Rector, the Entrepreneurship Centre was producing nothing less than 10,000 to 20,000 school desks and chairs every month, as well as the production of hospital beddings.
Afterwards, the Governor held a closed-door meeting with the top management of the Polytechnic and directed the Ministry Of Water Resources to drill two deep aquifers borehole and carry out a complete water channel network within the polytechnic, which was coming after approved prior interventions for Polytechnic in 2019, to reduce problems of water supply.
Payment Students’ Scholarships
In the meantime, Governor Zulum gave assurances to the students that the payment of scholarships would soon commence.
“The verification exercise has just been completed, I want to assure you that as soon as the detailed report is forwarded to me, we will pay your scholarship immediately,” he said.
N-power enrolment
The Governor was also at the Federal Secretariat, where the enrolment of the Batch C of the N-Power volunteers was being conducted.
He addressed the thousands of applicants who gathered for the biometric enrolment, which will guarantee them monthly Federal Government stipends.
Governor Zulum pledged the state government’s support despite that the N-Power programme was a Federal government initiative.
