Jama’are Community Resort To Prayers Over Threat To Relocate Faculty of Agriculture Campus

By Ahmed Ahmed

Jama’are community in Jama’are local government area of Bauchi has on Monday resorted to embark on three-days of prayers over a threat to relocate the faculty of Agriculture of the state university Gadau sited in the community to elsewhere.

The special prayers were organized at the Jama’are central Mosque for divine intervention by Allah to touch the heart of all those who are behind the move.

Speaking to Journalists the Secretary of Jama’are Development Forum, Alhaji Saleh Ahmed Malle said that the information going round that government is planning to relocate the Faculty of Agriculture to elsewhere.

The development, according to him, was necessitated by the approval by the State Government granted to the TetFUND for the immediate takeoff of the newly established Federal College of Education, Jama’are.

According to him, the Jama’are community have a copy of the approval granted to TetFUND by the government to that effect as signed by the State Governor, Sen Bala Mohammed Abdulkadir himself.

The Secretary General added that, “with the approval granted for the takeoff of the FCE, it means that the Faculty of Agriculture will be moved away from Jama’are to another place even though such has not been communicated”.

He stressed that, “since the siting of the Faculty in Jama’are by the administration of the former Governor of the state, Isa Yuguda, the area has developed in all ramifications particularly economically which has been boosted”.

He said that because of the number of students coming into the town, people of the area have their businesses boosted just as the town has gained more popularity and attention.

Saleh Malle suggested that, “if the FCE must take off from the Faculty of Agriculture, we don’t have problems with that, our demand is that the Faculty of Agriculture should be made to remain in Jama’are”.

He opined that the two institutions can operate together because the space is big enough to contain them, pointing out that the only thing needed is additional structure which the Tetfund can do within a short period.

According to him, “the two institutions are for the development of not Jama’are LGA alone but the entire state. We are in support of educational development, that is the reason we are appealing to the State Government to let the status quo remain”.

The prayer session was led by the Chief Imam of Jama’are Central Mosque, Mal Harisu Dauda who said that though they are used to such prayers every Friday before the Jummaat prayers, this one was a special session focusing on the development. The Islamic Cleric said that the importance of citing the institution in Jama’are cannot be overemphasized as it has boosted development of the area as students from different places across the country are studying in the school.

He then appealed to the State Government to, in the interest of fairness, allow the faculty to remain in Jama’are. Also Speaking students from the campus lamented that a threat to relocate the campus elsewhere would affect them negatively.

A community member Alhaji Mohammmed Yau pointed out that taken away the campus from the community would affect the business activities, socialization and growth of education in the community.