Multiple development associations in Gumel Emirate in Jigawa State have launched a campaign, calling on authorities to consider the region as the right place to site the newly approved Federal University of Technology, Jigawa.
President Muhammadu Buhari last week approved the establishment of four specialized universities in four states in the country.
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The universities include that of technology to be located in Jigawa and Akwa Ibom, as well as universities of Health, Nutrition and Medical Sciences to be located at Azare in Bauchi State and Ila Orangun in Ogun State.
Four existing universities of technology in Yola, Akure, Owerri and Niger will be upgraded and a new National Institute of Technology to be established in Abuja in 2022.
President Buhari also approved N18billion as take-off fund for the four specialized universities.
Making a case for the new Jigawa varsity to be sited in Gumel Emirate, nine groups under the umbrella of Gumel Youth Movement (G.Y.M), they observed that since the creation of Jiagwa State 30 years ago, other emirates like Dutse, Hadejia, Kazaure, Ringim have enjoyed the presence of state or federal tertiary institutions in their domains with the exception of Gumel Emirate.
They gave a breakdown of distribution of federal and state tertiary institutions across the emirates since the creation of the state, showing Dutse Emirate with five higher institutions, Hadejia Emirate, six, Kazaure Emirate, three and Ringim Emirate, five.
Gumel, they said, had not gotten its own share of federal and state tertiary institutions presence despite the zone being the most backward in terms of economic development opportunities.
The groups appealed to the state governor, Alhaji Muhammadu Badaru Abubakar, to ensure fairness in the distribution of institutions among the various zones in the state, by having the new university located in Gumel.
In continuation of the campaign, the groups last week, visited the Emir of Gumel Alhaji Ahmad Muhammad Sani, seeking his blessings and guidance to help realize the goal.
The associations under the umbrella group GYM, comprised Gubule Media Forum (GMEF), Gumel Youth Awareness Forum (G-YAF), Dantanoma Forum (DF), Gumel Community Initiative for Green and Clean Environment (GCIGCE), Lautai Youths Development Association (LYDA), Gumel Emirate Forum for Public and Educational Counseling (GEFPEC), Gumel Emirate Youths Network, among others.
