Inaugurating the panel on Monday at the Government House, Maiduguri, Shettima said that higher education is crucial to the development of any society.
His words: “Your inauguration today to serve on this high-powered technical committee on Borno State University marks a milestone in meeting our manpower requirements, because no development could take place without functional and qualitative education at all levels.
“The task before you is to complete the building of the varsity Senate, and establishment of four faculties for the meantime, before we expand it to admit our qualified candidates for admissions into various university accredited programmes of studies.”
He said the appointment of the committee members was however based on their proven and trust in them to add value to society.
He directed the Commissioner for Higher Education, Alhaji Usman Njaha, to release the sum of N470 million for the payment of contractors handling some of the projects at the proposed N3.4 billion university.
He further disclosed that when the institution takes off, it will have a Senate building, a sick bay and four faculties for the meantime.
Responding, the Chairman of the committee, Prof. Abubakar Mustapha, noted that many qualified students from the state could not get university admission.
“With no other university, state or private in Borno State than the University of Maiduguri (UNIMAID), indigenes of the state are left at the mercy of institutions within and outside the North East geopolitical zone of Nigeria, which offer admissions to negligible number of qualified indigenes of the state,” he said.
