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Tag: Babagana Zulum

  • Nobody is safe in Borno, Shehu cries out

    Nobody is safe in Borno, Shehu cries out

    The Shehu of Borno, Alhaji Garbai Elkanemi has cried out, saying nobody is safe in Borno State, calling on everyone to raise their hands to seek for Allah’s intervention.

    TheNewsGuru.com (TNG) reports Shehu made the call when he visited the State Governor, Prof Babagana Zulum at the Government House.

    The visit was on the heels of the gun attack on the Governor’s convoy in Baga on Wednesday and the Maiduguri’s attack that claimed the lives of six persons with 27 injured on Eid-el-Kabir’s eve.

    “Your Excellency, we are not happy about what happened in Baga, it is very unfortunate and a great pity.

    “If the convoy of the whole chief security officer of the state will be attacked, then wallahi, nobody is safe, because he is the number one citizen of the state.

    “If the convoy of such a highly placed person in the state will be attacked, I repeat, nobody is safe. The matter is getting worse, I urge everyone to raise our hands to seek Allah’s intervention,” Shehu said.

    Meanwhile, Governor Zulum thanked the Shehu for the visit and assured of government’s readiness to address the issues he raised.

  • Gov Zulum shocked, saddened by execution of 5 aid workers in Borno

    Gov Zulum shocked, saddened by execution of 5 aid workers in Borno

    Gov. Babagana Zulum has expressed shock and sadness over the killing in Borno of five aid workers who were killed by Boko Haram insurgents.

    Zulum, in a statement by his Special Assistant Media and Strategies to the governor,

    disclosed this in a statement released on Thursday in Maiduguri.
    said he is deeply pained by Malam Isa Gusau, described the aid workers as “heroes who were serving humanity “.

    The governor, Gusau said, was informed of the execution on Wednesday evening, while visiting the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps Headquarters in Abuja to discuss introduction of civil-defence volunteer programme and the deployment of more agro rangers to secure farmers in Borno.

    “The insurgents released a video which showed five blindfolded aid workers with four of them shot at close range, while one was spared even though he was also positioned for execution.

    “The five aid workers were abducted weeks back during a humanitarian mission to support internally displaced persons (IDPs).

    “Gov. Zulum is deeply pained and extremely worried by the gruesome execution of the aid workers who lost their lives while trying to save IDPs through humanitarian activities.

    “The Governor mourns these heroes and shares the grief of their families and employers: Borno Emergency Management Agency (SEMA), Action Against Hunger, Reach International, International Rescue Committee, and condoles with the United Nations Office for Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, (UNOCHA)”, the statement said.

    Gusau noted that Gov. Zulum has, in his absence, directed a Government delegation to immediately visit families of the aid workers to participate in funeral activities and to pay condolence visits to affected humanitarian partners through UNOCHA.

    The governor, he said, wants fresh ideas that would be the way out of the insurgency.

    “Gov. Zulum wants a new thinking that would hopefully stop these endless killings. We cannot continue to do the same thing over and over and expect a different result.

    “The governor believes in a combination of kinetic and non-kinetic approaches and he is of the position that the Nigerian military has, through its operation ‘safe corridor’, demonstrated its willingness to rehabilitate and reintegrate insurgents willing to stop the killings of fellow humans.

    The Governor reiterates his call on the insurgents to stop the killings that have been on for 11 years.

    Zulum also urged all stakeholders to renew commitment to ending the insurgency by being open to new ideas and applying different measures that will hasten good results.

  • JUST IN: Gov. Zulum suspends all staff of Ngala General Hospital

    Gov. Babagana Zulum of Borno has suspended all government staff of Ngala General Hospital for abandoning their job in the border Hospital to an international NGO, fhi 360.

    Ngala town liberated from insurgents in 2015 is the Headquarters of Ngala Local Government Area with an international land route into Cameroon, Chad, Sudan and Central Africa.

    A statement on Wednesday by the governor’s spokesman, Mallam Isa Gusau, said the development followed a surprise visit to the hospital by the Governor where he met only the NGO staff attaining to many patients mostly Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) that besieged the facility.

    Gusau said those affected by the suspension included; doctors, nurses, pharmacists and laboratory technicians.

    “The governor was disappointed to find out that in spite of the high turn-out of patients, not one of the many government paid staff, from doctors down to clerical staff, was at the hospital as at 11am,” Gusau said.

    He explained that the governor was received at the hospital by the Field Coordinator of the fhi 360.

    “This is a General Hospital belonging to Borno State Government, unfortunately there is no single state government staff here to attend to all these patients, and we promptly pay all of them salaries.

    “These humanitarian workers from the iNGO (fhi360) are supposed to complement the state government staff but not to completely take over the hospital.

    “I am directing the Borno State Hospitals Management Board, if there is any staff on the payroll of this Hospital, to immediately suspend all the workers on government payroll.

    “I will be back at this hospital, hoping to see the opposite of what I saw today,” Gusau quoted Zulum as saying.

    While in Ngala the governor also visited three schools and ordered the rehabilitation of classrooms destroyed by insurgents.

    He also announced plans to resettle displaced persons in neighbouring communities of Logumani and Gajibo.

  • Religious activities resume in Borno as Zulum suspends lockdown

    Religious activities are to resume from today Thursday May 14 in Borno State but with strict adherence to social distance. This is in response to the suspension of the anti-COVID-19 lockdown by the Borno state government on Wednesday.

    The state government said it is suspending the lockdown order indefinitely. Use of face masks must also be adhere to strictly the state government said.

    NCDC confirms 18 cases in Borno, 9 in Katsina as COVID-19 spreads to Imo
    184 new cases of Covid-19 raise Nigeria’s total to near 5,000. In
    a statement issued by the Deputy Governor and Chairman Task Force Committee on COVID19, Hon. Umar Kadafur, in Maiduguri on Wednesday, said significant progress has been recorded in the last three weeks against the COVID-19 pandemic.

    He charged religious, community and opinion leaders to enforce all the measures, warning that defaulters would be arrested and prosecuted accordingly

  • BREAKING: Gov. Zulum imposes total lockdown in Borno

    Following the confirmation of one COVID-19 index case in Borno, the state is to observe a two-week total lockdown as from Wednesday, says Gov. Babagana Zulum.

    Zulum, who made the declaration in a broadcast in Maiduguri on Monday, however, said the restriction would not apply to the providers of essential services.

    “In the exercise of the powers conferred on me, I have signed an Executive Order, declaring COVID-19 a dangerous disease.

    “For this, I am hereby directing a lockdown that will require cessation of all movements in Borno State for an initial period of 14 days, with effect from 10.30 p.m on Wednesday, April 22.

    “All citizens in Borno State are to stay in their homes.

    “This means all public gatherings are restricted, while offices and businesses in Borno State are to be fully closed during this period.

    “Security and intelligence agencies have been briefed for enforcement.

    “Government will use this period of restriction to accelerate the tracing and isolation of persons who have been in contact with the index case,” Zulum said.

    The governor promised to set up a panel to investigate the circumstances surrounding the outbreak and handling of the index case in state.

    He said the high powered team under the Chairmanship of the Deputy Governor, Alhaji Umar Kadafur, had been directed to as from Tuesday to commence a daily centralised media briefing on the pandemic.

    “The high powered team will on a daily basis provide citizens with timely updates and information on access to essential needs, such as foods, medical services and automated banking services.

    “Government will continue to observe developments as we hope to make progress in concerted efforts to contain spread of the deadly virus.

    “We are very much aware of the peculiar challenges we face in Borno State. We intend to be very particular about Internally Displaced Persons.

    “We will continue to support them. We shall as time passes, consider social interventions for vulnerable citizens.

    “We recognise that the decision to impose restriction will cause difficulties and alter the plans we make differently.

    “However, as COVID-19 has reminded us, health comes ahead of everything we seek,” Zulum said.

    The governor assured that government had taken necessary measures with the determination and hope to secure the lives of residents in the state.

    “We pray and hope that these measures, amongst other steps we are adopting, will contribute significantly in controlling the spread of Coronavirus in Borno State,” he said.

  • We will spend our last kobo to eliminate Boko Haram – Gov. Zulum

    We will spend our last kobo to eliminate Boko Haram – Gov. Zulum

    Gov. Babagana Zulum of Borno on Monday assured that the state government would spend its last kobo to support the military and strengthen Civilian JTF and hunters, to eliminate terrorism.

    Zulum gave the promise when he received the Chief of Army Staff, Lt.-Gen. Tukur Buratai, who visited him in Maiduguri.

    He vowed that the state government would rise to the challenge of defending the people by supporting the military in terms of intelligence and logistics.

    “The chief of army staff, count on me.

    “Believe me, the government of Borno state will spend its last Kobo in ensuring that our civilian JTF and hunters are strengthened.

    “We cannot afford a situation whereby two persons (terrorists) come with motorcycle or vehicle, ransacking town and killing hundreds of people,’’ he said.

    The governor maintained that security was everybody’s business and not only a military affair.

    He commended the military, particularly the army for their efforts so far in dealing with terrorists, noting that it was “very difficult to deal with an enemy you do not see.’’

    “People do not understand; it very difficult.

    “Considering the land mass of Borno state, about 76, 000 kms; it is not easy.’’

    He pleaded that military operation should be followed with a stabilisation mechanism, saying “once an area has been liberated, there is the need for the government and military to work out modalities for reconstruction, rehabilitation and resettlement’’.

    He added that this should be done with the support of the military and paramilitary organisations

    “Without this, an area liberated can be taken over by insurgents.’’

    The governor also pointed out that to achieve success in the fight against terrorism, the root causes of Boko Haram must be addressed.

    He listed some of them as unemployment, endemic poverty, high illiteracy, poor socio-economic infrastructure and climate change.

    “Right now, over 80 per cent of our population (Borno), including the youth and able bodied men, are unemployed.

    “The situation is catastrophic, and unless we address the root causes of these problems, I think we cannot make any meaningful progress,’’ he said.

    Zulum said that the mainstay of the state’s economy was agriculture but regretted that over 90 per cent of the population did not have access to farmland due insurgency.

    “The area under cultivation in the last 10 years is less than that of the last two years.

    “We are getting some significant improvement. This year, 2019, we are also getting more significant improvement.

    “One area that the people of Borno wish to collaborate with the military and the police is to have access to their farmland,’’ he said.

    Earlier, Buratai had congratulated the governor on his election and assured that the military was working out solution to insecurity in the state and the North-East.

    Buratai also said that the military was moving into the stabilization phase in the region and pleaded for more support.