BOSU to hold maiden convocation in January 2026

By: Bodunrin Kayode

Vice Chancellor (VC)Borno State University, Professor Babagana Gutti has said that the maiden convocation of the University will come up in January 2026.

He said that the management is doing all it can to dot the t’s and the I’s of its academic calendar to ensure that the ceremony takes place first thing next year hopefully.

Prof Gutti regretted that he took over a main campus that was overwhelmed with myriads of immediate challenges which to him must be fixed before other pressing issues like convocation could be handled effectively.

Going philosophical, the VC posited that life is all about challenges so even when he wanted to hit the ground running, a year ago when appointed, those issues he was not expecting to harass his sensibilities were serving as a clog in the wheels of progress.

To him, meeting lots of these hitches was not the issue, but meeting those he expected and those he did not expect as an academic was quite intriguing and it actually subjected him to serious tests in the realm of administration as a new comer in the office.

Gutti said that funding was a major issue he met on ground as expected because previous administrations did not effectively put forward their challenges on the front burner for the government to regard them as primary for the campus to function.

Transportation of members of the University community

One of those problems he met on ground was transportation especially when one considers the fact that the main campus is located at Njimtilo almost 20km from the centre of the Borno state capital.

“Transportation was a major challenge for every one when i arrived. Imagine a situation in which in the morning, it was easy to get transportation but sadly it was not the same in the evening for members of the University community to commute.

“I met about ten of the campus buses broken down and I had no choice but to fix them. That was my first task, doing what I could to ensure that students had transportation to and from the main campus.

“The situation was so bad with the vehicles that I had to change all their tyres for safety purposes and gave them the basics needed to return the buses safely back to the road.

“We also got two extra buses from somewhere through the ministry of poverty alleviation and we are expecting more by the grace of God from the North East Development Commission (NEDC).

“As for the bus drivers, they are being retrained to cope with the challenges associated with the roads. The essence is to teach them to be careful. We don’t have the resources to fix the roads but our drivers must cope with the status of the roads. “

Commenting on the trailer crash that killed two of his students last year while going home in the campus bus, the VC noted that the Dangote company took responsibility of the bills of the late students and even those who were admitted by refunding the amount spent on the students in the hospital.

He revealed that the parents did not press further charges for their wards because they believed that “these issues in our clime are usually left to God” to adjudicate but the issues are being further looked into to avert further incidents in the future.

Centralization of Administrative activities in 3 buildings on campus

Professor Gutti posited that on assuming duty, the entire campus was crowded around the senate building to get things done which was not too good for the progress of the campus community.

” I discovered that most of the daily activities was centralized in two or three offices on campus and this was because most of the departments did not have overheads for such facilities on their own.

” On seeing this I had to create overheads for every department so they did not have to come here (VC’s office) just to photocopy. I bought printers and papers for all of them to take off with the new way of doing things.”

The VC noted that one year after, everyone now has his own office facility and the work of administration is going on very well without being over centralized.

Water Reticulation on campus

Water supply was a very important commodity for institutions with large populations like his as such the non availability of this product in every building and everywhere was a major challenge.

“Imagine when i turned the taps in my office, there was no water. That to me had to be fixed so I had to ensure that it was history.

“I actually repaired all the damaged bore holes and reticulation was done to all the buildings so that the three main boreholes can supply the campus effectively.

” i could have used our funds here to dig more but the topography of the University will not allow that to happen effectively.

“Due to the scarcity of water in most of the buildings all the sock aways were blocked and even filled. We had to repair all of them and made them functional.

On water issues with the female hostel, he said the only borehole that was working in the campus a year ago was the one by the student hostel.

“There was light and water then but whether it is drinkable or not is another thing entire. However, one year after assumption of duties, 100 percent of the main campus is completely reticulated now and we are happy.

” Also, out of the intervention from TET fund another extra borehole may be added to the ones we have in the campus soon”. Said the VC

While reeling out his achievements on more water especially with the take off of the faculty of medicine, the VC maintained that moves are on to create soft water out of the harshness of the water oozing out of the belly of Njimtilo.

He regretted that there were no laboratory for the mb bs program and five other programs in the medical college to kick start

“They should start seeing cadava right from part two and we have fixed the labs for them to have such a facility to work with. We spent a lot of money to resolve these issues.

“As a matter of fact, all the generators were fixed and we spent a lot of money to make progress on this because they had all broken down.” Said Gutti.

Solarization of the campus

Gutti regretted that massive vandalism went on in many of the offices before he hit the ground running so he had to fix most of the electricals all over again.

” in most of the blocks the vandals cut all the wires and took them away. I had no option but to fix them and in the process to maintain sanity on campus.

“I had to fix solar in the student hostels so that they now have 24 hours electricity supplies because it is essential for them to study.

“Students did not have foams to sleep so we had to buy them the double bunk mattresses to lie upon.”

On personnel, he went on: “I can tell you that, we are recruiting right now and i expect the figure to go up very soon.”

Regretted the proliferation of new universities when the ones on ground are yet to have the requisite numbers of teaching staff they desire.

“We believe that most of the universities today do not have the number of requisite profs.”

On the non academics on campus, the VC noted that they don’t have much challenges with them because most of them were transferred from Kashim Ibrahim College of Education maiduguri.

What next for the university ?

The VC hinted that he had about two to three faculties which he is yearning to establish before the end of his tenure and they are faculty of computing with departments like Robotics, Cyber security, AI, software engineering ICT and many others like artificial intelligence.

” Environmental studies where we will do Urban and Regional Planning Architecture, Building, survey ect.

“The third one is the College of Law which will offer different kinds of law courses in the faculty.” Concluded the VC

BOSU to hold maiden convocation in January 2026

Zulum opens 48-classroom school

Approves meal, stipends to spike enrollment 

By: Our Reporter

Borno State Governor, Babagana Umara Zulum, has inaugurated the Higher Islamic College, Gajiganna, in the northern part of the state.

The college will blend the traditional Almajiri education system (Sangaya) with the formal education system.

Speaking on Friday in Gajiganna town, Zulum stressed that about 20 similar colleges had been built in different local government areas to provide Almajirai with basic literacy and vocational skills. 

The governor said: “our goal is clear: to provide our children, especially Sangaya learners, with the knowledge and skills required to thrive in today’s world. 

“In pursuit of this, the institutions we are establishing operate under a curriculum approved by the National Board for Arabic and Islamic Studies (NBAIS) which harmoniously blends Islamic scholarship with Science, Mathematics, Technology and Foundational English.

“At the same time, we have remained unwavering in our commitment to revitalising the Sangaya education system—an enduring pillar of Islamic learning that has shaped our society for generations. 

“Our reforms have been deliberate and balanced: safeguarding the cherished values of traditional Islamic scholarship while introducing modern subjects and vocational training.”

Governor Zulum also commissioned the  Government Day Secondary School, Gajiganna, which will serve as a referral centre for hundreds of pupils completing their primary education in Gajiganna town.

Earlier, the Commissioner for Education, Science, Technology and Innovation, Engr Lawan Abba Wakilbe, commended Governor Zulum for delivering over 104 mega schools in six years.

“Your Excellency, to proudly highlight that under your stewardship, 104 Mega Schools have already been completed and delivered across the state, with an additional 35 at different stages of construction, excluding those already advertised and awaiting commencement,” Wakilbe said.

The commissioner added: “This is a remarkable achievement that reflects not only infrastructure but vision, leadership, and an unwavering commitment to generations yet unborn.”

The event was attended by the Senate Chief whip and the senator representing northern Borno, Mohammed Tahir Monguno, Senator Kaka Shehu Lawan, members of the House of Representatives, Usman Zannah, Abdulkadir Rahis and Engr Bukar Talba.

Also in attendance were the Speaker of Borno State House of Assembly, Abdulkarim Lawan; APC Chairman, Bello Ayuba; the Secretary to the State Government, Alhaji Bukar Tijani; the Deputy Chief of Staff, Dr Babagana Mustahpa Mallumbe, among other senior government officials.

Approves one meal/day, stipends to spike enrollment 

Meanwhile, Governor Babagana Zulum has directed the provision of one square meal to the students in high Islamic colleges and schools with low enrollment.

According to the governor, the directive is to spike the enrollment in the northern part of the state, which had suffered devastation from over a decade of insurgency.

He said: “We must establish deliberate measures to promote education in northern Borno. This is the only region in Borno State that has not been developed in terms of education. So, both the secondary and primary education board chairmen are here. I want you to put more emphasis on northern Borno. You can see a situation whereby in this town with a total population of about 50,000 people, only 90 students were enrolled in a secondary school.

The Governor added, “We must support the parents of these 90 students from towns like Gajiganna. It is imperative to ensure that these 90 students complete their studies, it would represent significant progress. We will approve stipends of N250,000 for their fathers and N50,000 for each of their mothers. For the students themselves, we are setting aside N50,000 each, which will provide them with financial support for their essential needs.”

Zulum opens 48-classroom school

Billionaire Indimi inaugurated for a second term as Pro Chancellor of the Kashim Ibrahim University Maiduguri

By: Bodunrin Kayode

Nigerian Billionaire Dr Mohammed Indimi has been inaugurated for the second term as Pro Chancellor of the Borno State government owned Kashim Ibrahim University (KIU).

Indimi and his team were inaugurated monday by Governor Babagana Zulum to continue developing the state owned University which has grown massively since he took charge four years ago as pro chancellor.

Speaking after their inauguration, Zulum, tasked the Governing Council of the University to foster the culture of cutting-edge research, innovation and community development to address the challenges and opportunities of the post-insurgency recovery efforts.

The Governor noted that the inauguration is part of the broader effort to reposition the University as a beacon of knowledge, innovation and moral rectitude, not just for the North-East, but for Nigeria as a whole.

He stressed that the challenges before the new council was significant as the opportunities are myriad adding that “we task you with fostering a culture of rigorous research, innovative teaching and community-relevant curricula that addresses the unique challenges and opportunities of our post-insurgency recovery and development”.

Governor Zulum expressed delight that the student population alone had grown from a mere 300 in the beginning to about 10,000 in the last 6 years.

He charged the new council to prioritize the welfare of both staff and students and uphold the highest standards of academic excellence, transparency and prudent management of resources.

“You are now the legal custodians of this university’s destiny, entrusted with a sacred mandate to provide strategic direction, ensure financial prudence, uphold the highest standards of academic excellence and safeguard the welfare of both staff and students.

“This ceremony is a fulfilment of our administration’s unwavering commitment to strengthening the governance structures of all tertiary institutions in Borno State.

“It is pivotal to repositioning this University as a beacon of knowledge, innovation and moral rectitude, not just for the North-East, but Nigeria as a whole”.

“Section 1(1) (c) of the Third Schedule of the Kashim Ibrahim University Law, 2018, as amended, empowers me to constitute a Governing Council as the supreme governing body of the University charged with the general control and superintendence of the policy, finances and administration of the institution”.

“I offer my heartfelt congratulations to you all. Your selection was not by chance. It was a deliberate choice based on your proven integrity, vast experience and demonstrable passion for education and community development.

“In particular, I wish to address our Pro-Chancellor and Chairman of Council, Alhaji (Dr) Muhammadu Indimi. Your legendary philanthropy and unwavering support for education are well-known,” he concluded.

Responding, the Pro-Chancellor and Chairman of Council, Dr Muhammadu Indimi said he graciously accepted the appointment with the aim of serving his state and promised to provide positive change in the University.

“I accepted this position because I have to support my state. With my able lieutenants, we promise to provide positive change in the University,” Indimi assured.

Billionaire Indimi inaugurated for a second term as Pro Chancellor of the Kashim Ibrahim University Maiduguri