[JUST IN] Oronsey Report: Tinubu may halt merger of Army National Team and NDA – Zulum

President Bola Tinubu has agreed to consider a request to block the merger of the Nigerian Army College in Biu, Borno State and the Nigerian National Defense College in Abuja.

This follows a closed-door meeting between the President and Borno State Governor, Prof. Babagana Zulum, on Friday at Aso Rock Villa, Abuja.

“So, I have met the President. We have appealed that the Nigerian Army College should not be merged with the Nigerian Defense College but should be converted into a traditional university under the jurisdiction of the Federal Ministry of Education.” I did.

“And I am pleased to inform you that the President has instructed me to write a letter on this very important issue to consider the request from the people,” Zulum said.

On February 26, 2024, 12 years after receiving the Stephen Oronsay report, the federal government approved implementation of some of its recommendations to reduce governance costs.

As a result, 29 government agencies will be merged, while eight sub-national agencies will be incorporated into eight other government agencies.

Furthermore, four institutions were targeted for transfer to four ministries and one was targeted for abolition.

The implementation committee, headed by the Federation government secretary, Senator George Akume, has 12 weeks to bring the recommendations into force.

Among the universities to be merged is the Nigerian Army College in Biu, Borno State, which will function as a faculty of the Nigerian National Defense University in Kaduna.

But Zulum said the plan would have devastating consequences for the region, including expanding the already large out-of-school population.

Zulum explained, “The reason I met with the President regarding the issue of Biu Military University is that I recently received a communication from the Presidential Office that some universities will be merged according to the Oronsoe Report.”

“The Borno State Government and people have praised this great initiative. It is very good. However, we appeal to the President to reconsider the issue of merging the Army War College with the Nigerian National Defense University.”

He said the institution serves many people in southern Borno whose access to higher education is at risk.

“Southern Borno State is a very important region not only for Borno State but for the entire country.

“There is a huge number of children who are willing to study but there is no federal university in their zone. If this Army College is merged with the NDA, there will be a huge There is a possibility of encountering a large number of children who cannot attend school.

“The most important thing is that the president listened to me and agreed to review this issue, Inshallah,” he said.