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Tag: Zulum

  • Borno Gov hires 30 Nigerian imams living in Saudi to pray against Boko Haram

    Governor Babagana Zulum of Borno has engaged 30 clerics to intercede for his state over the unending Boko Haram insurgency there.

    Zulum’s spokesman, Isa Gusau, in a statement said the government engaged the 30 imams who are residents of Makkah, Saudia Arabia, to intercede for the state affected by a decade of Boko Haram violence.

    Gusau disclosed that the governor sealed the agreement with the selected persons who are residents of Makkah, to permanently offer daily ‘Dawaf’ (circumambulation of the holy Ka’aba), to offer prayer for the return of sustained peace in Borno and the country.

    He said that the 30 clerics, who hailed variously from Borno, Katsina, Zamfara, Kano and parts of the northwest, have, for decades, devoted themselves to spending hours at the Ka’aba daily for the purpose of worship.

    Gusau explained that an old man among them was said to have been a Ka’aba devotee in the last 40 years.

    Ka’aba is the Islamic holiest place located inside the grand Al-Haram ‎mosque in Makkah.

    “The critical move is aimed to combine different approaches that include sustained support for the Nigerian Armed Forces, aggressive mass recruitment and equipping of more counter-insurgency volunteers into the Civilian Joint Task Force, hunters and vigilantes as well as socio-economic approach to enhance access to education, job opportunities and provide other means of livelihood through social protection initiatives,” Gusau said in the statement.

    According to him, Zulum, a professor of Soil and Water Engineering at the University of Maiduguri before his election as governor, interacted with the devotees on Friday at the Ka’aba, expressing gratitude and seeking continued prayers.

    “Rather than sending anyone, I am here, on behalf of the good people of Borno.

    “I thank you so much for your empathy and the compassion in devoting yourselves to prayer for us everyday at the Ka’aba which, for us as Muslims, is the most sacred place.

    “We need prayers more than ever before, we are handling our problem from different approaches.

    “Prayer is key to everything that we seek. We will continue to seek prayers from many fronts. We will keep supporting our clerics of different faiths in Nigeria for prayers and we will seek the same from all of you that are always here around the holy Ka’aba.

    “I beg you, continue to pray for us towards achieving three things: first, for us to regain peace in Borno State, the North and Nigeria in general.

    “We will have to continue to pray on a permanent basis because we need peace to be sustained.

    “Secondly; we need prayers for us to achieve our ambitious plan for Borno State; and lastly, for Allah to make us remain focused and not to get carried away by power,” Zulum was quoted as saying in the statement.

    Gusau added that governor returned to Nigeria on Saturday.

  • Doctors, 128 nurses absent as Borno Gov, Zulum pays unscheduled visits to hospitals at night

    There is serious panic and anxiety among doctors on the employs of Borno State Government following the late night visit of Gov. Babagana Zulum on Monday to hospitals within Maiduguri metropolis.
    Many of them, especially those on duty call who couldn’t respond to the governor’s anonymous distress calls, are particularly bothered over the fate that awaits them.
    At Umaru Shehu Ultra Modern Hospital, he met patients in pathetic condition and could not find a single doctor on duty. .
    As a result of their absence, Prof Zulum had to place a call to all the 10 medical Doctors on duty, but none of them picked up not knowing it was the Governor that was calling.
    Only 10 nurses were found on duty out of about 138 nurses on the payroll. The Governor went round all the wards to see the situation of the patients and later requested for the hospital’s staff pay book and made roll call.
    At the State Specialist Hospital, few medical doctors were on duty when the Governor arrived. However, the Governor was not satisfied by the quality of services rendered at both Hospitals.

    Zulum was said to be visibly dissatisfied with what he saw on ground at the hospitals he visited.

  • Poverty, unemployment causes of Boko Haram insurgency in Borno – Gov Zulum

    Poverty, unemployment causes of Boko Haram insurgency in Borno – Gov Zulum

    Governor Babagana Zulum of Borno has identified poverty and unemployment as major causes of Boko Haram insurgency in the state.
    Zulum stated this during the inauguration of a micro credit facility and cash disbursement to petty traders, perishable sellers and retailers at Custom Market, Maiduguri, on Saturday.
    He said that poverty and unemployment were the main causes of the insurgency and security challenges facing the state.
    “There is nexus between security and economy; you could not have security without economic improvement.
    “I promised to address the nagging problem of unemployment among youths and women; I will also work for the improvement of social and economic condition of the people to achieve security, peace and stability in the state,” he said.
    The governor said that his administration had initiated viable programmes to provide job opportunities, reduce poverty and enhance wealth creation in the society.
    He also said that the State Government had targeted over 10, 000 traders to participate in the micro credit loan scheme before the end of the year.
    He said that some 1, 307 traders and retailers were selected to participate under the first phase of the programme in the Custom market.
    Zulum said each of the beneficiaries would receive N30, 000 loan under the programme to enable him or her to finance their businesses, adding that government had adopted proactive measures to ensure continuity and sustainability of the programme.
    He said that the state government had also provided a 50 per cent waver on the facility to enable the beneficiaries to repay the loan.
    He urged the beneficiaries to ensure effective utilisation of the money and engage in productive activities.
    Some of the beneficiaries, Mrs Lami Mohammed and Ali Yanage, lauded the gesture, saying that it would go a long way in boosting their socio-economic well being.

  • Supreme Court upholds Zulum's election as Borno governor

    Supreme Court upholds Zulum's election as Borno governor

    …upholds Kyari’s election as Borno North Senator
    The Supreme Court has dismissed an appeal filed by Alhaji Idris Mamman Gatumba, challenging the election of Professor Babagana Umara Zulum as Governor of Borno State.
    The apex court also dismissed an appeal filed by Hajja Fati Monguno challenging the election of Senator Abubakar Kyari representing Borno North.
    In a unanimous judgment, five justices of the Supreme Court, led by Hon justice John Iyang Okoro, dismissed both appeals for lack of merit.
    The appellants, Idris and Kaakenna, had separately challenged the September/October, 2018 APC primaries in Borno State and approached the apex court after losing ‎at both the Court of Appeal in Jos and the Federal High Court in Maiduguri.
    ‎At the Supreme Court, counsel to the appellants I K Bawa, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, prayed the court to invoke its powers and set aside the concurrent judgments of the lower Courts to remove Governor Zulum and Senator Kyari from office as well as declare Idris and Kaakenna validly elected as Governor and Senator.
    In his counter argument, counsel to the two respondents, Yusuf Ali, SAN, represented in court by K K Eleja, also a Senior Advocate of Nigeria , argued the appeals were statute barred hence lacking in merit.
    He argued that the appeals be summarily dismissed.
    Consequently, the five Judges of the Supreme Court agreed with the argument of the respondents’ counsel and dismissed the two appeals in their favor.