Borno State Governor, Professor Babagana Umara Zulum, has expressed deep concern over what he described as poor management and a lack of commitment by the current leadership of the Federal College of Education (FCE), Gwoza, to ensure the full take-off of academic activities in the institution.
Zulum noted that this was despite the State Government committing over N200 million in take-off grants and completing a comprehensive rehabilitation of the College site.
The Governor, who had earlier handed over the fully remodelled College site to the Federal Ministry of Education at a ceremony in the Government House council chamber in Maiduguri, expressed his disappointment with the management’s failure to demonstrate the requisite urgency and dedication to activate the institution.
The College, formerly known as Teachers College Gwoza and owned by the Borno State Government, has been remodelled to include over 100 upgraded classrooms, modern laboratories, improved administrative facilities, and staff quarters for principal officers.
Governor Zulum had earlier approved N200 million as a take-off package, approved the allocation of the site in July 2023 and ordered its complete rehabilitation.
The Governor also provided a housing estate with about 12 units of two-bedroom houses to accommodate teachers as the College prepares for its first set of students. Additional staff quarters were later commissioned to address critical gaps in staff accommodation and retention.
However, despite these massive investments, the College management has yet to make any concrete commitments for the full commencement of academic programmes. Governor Zulum, who was visibly angry, said, “I am not happy, because this college was established about three years ago and the principal officers were appointed, especially the Provost, but to my dismay. He cannot even install a 5 kVA solar power system at his office. The office is ghostly, none of them is here, an indication that there is no commitment to move this college forward.”
“Borno State Government will not fold its arms and look at them, we shall do all it can to make sure this school function well. We have provided N200 million as a take-off grant, and we have renovated almost all the buildings in the college.”
“It is clear that there is no commitment on the side of the principal officers to drive the process and ensure academic activities commence.”
“We will now forward our findings to the Federal Ministry of Education on how we can change some of the principal officers so that academic activities can resume in this school.”