AHMED MARI, Maiduguri
Governor Babagana Zulum of Borno State has warned government officials not to name any project after him while in office, saying: ‘No, no, I will not allow any project’.
Government Babagana Zulum who outrightly rejected the naming of two blocks of hostel in his honour, at the Ramat Polytechnic in Maiduguri, on Monday during a commissioning ceremony, said “no, no, I will not allow any project named after me while I am in office. It should be after my tenure of office”.
The newly-commissioned hostel at the state-owned institution, which was recently renovated and re-equipped by the State’s Ministry of Higher Education, Science, Technology and Innovation, using funds internally generated from the Polytechnic’s commercial activities, is to accommodate 1,500 students,.
The twin-project was named “Engr. Professor Babagana Umara Zulum male students’ hostel” but soon after it was announced, Zulum categorically declined.
Also, while reading a plaque he unveiled to commemorate the commissioning, Governor Zulum skipped the part his name was mentioned and instead said: “In commemoration of the commissioning of… male students’ hostel”.
Governor Zulum, however, paid glowing tributes to the Commissioner of Higher Education, Science, Technology and Innovation, Engr. Dr. Babagana Mallambe Mustapha, for remarkable turn around of the Polytechnic’s fortunes.
It would be recalled that the Polytechnic has been under the Commissioner’s direct supervision since September 2021 when Governor Zulum suspended management of the school.
Zulum, who was also a student from 1986 to 1988 for National Diploma in Engineering, before going for Bachelors Degree, Masters, and PhD at the University of Maiduguri and University of Ibadan, was also the Rector of the Polytechnic from 2011 to 2015.
Governor Zulum is known to have open affection for Ramat Polytechnic, and as such, he had directed Dr. Mustapha to restore the school’s glory while the management was suspended for six months.
In those six months (September 2021 to March 2022), Commissioner Mustapha supervised the restoration of dysfunctional facilities at the Polytechnic and carried out renovation and expansion works on a number of existing projects, and improved general administration of the tertiary school for which he was loudly praised by the Governor.
Zulum commended deputy Rectors and other management staff for supporting the commissioner and contributing to the gains recorded.
