Governor Kashim Shettima of Borno State has explained why the Boko Haram insurgents focused so much attack on educational institutions, saying the level of destruction by the sect in the state has taken it backward by 50 years.
The governor said this on Monday in Abuja, when the Executive Secretary of National Universities Commission (NUC), Professor Adamu Abubakar Rasheed, presented a letter of recognition to him for establishing Borno State University.
While reinstating that the state will continue to invest heavily on education, the governor said,“At the risk of sounding repetitive, Borno state has been taken 50 years backward, no thanks to the vicious Boko Haram we inherited in 2011.
“As we all know, hate for education is the fundamental principle of the Boko Haram. This explains why they focused so much attack on educational institutions.
“In the educational sector alone, a total of 5,335 classrooms and other academic buildings were destroyed by insurgents across 512 primary schools, 38 secondary schools and two tertiary institutions in Borno state.
“The objective was to bring down education in a state that has a long history of learning.
“As far back as 625 years ago, Sultan Uthman Bin Idris of Borno, in his communication with Sultan Barquq of Egypt in 1391, portrayed Borno Empire as one that takes pride in writing and learning.
“Today, Boko Haram wants to reverse that noble pride, but we will not let them do it.
“The state is now safe and ready to rehabilitate, reconstruct and expand educational institutions.”
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