In an Exclusive interview with Voice of Nigeria, the Senior Special Assistant on Media to the Executive Governor of Borno State in North-East Nigeria, Comrade Baba Sheikh Haruna has described the governor, Professor Babagana Zulum as a blessing to the people of Borno State.
Comrade Haruna made that known while speaking with VON’s correspondent Abubakar Mohammed in Maiduguri, the Borno State capital.
“I was appointed the senior special assistant on Media to the very hardworking, passionate, down to earth governor of Borno State. Like any other administration, he came prepared.
“Prepared because he worked with the last administration that is from 2015-2019 as the commissioner for Reconstruction, Rehabilitation and resettlement, the ministry is designed to settle our brothers and sisters displaced by Boko Haram insurgency which gave him the knowledge on what the State is and how best to govern the people and the situation at hand.
“When he was elected he came up with a well articulated agenda; called 10 points pact meant to bring Borno to it’s past glory and ensure that Borno moves like Lagos &co. With this points agenda, it tells a lot about his vision, in fact, it encapsulates almost everything that a responsible and responsive government will required to do for his people.
“Right from the onset, the governor means business. I could remember vividly when he was sworn in, in the evening he embarked on an assessment through out the city centre where he proposed to decongest the city, to give the city a face lift.
“However, his first agenda on the 10 pacts is the issue of security. With the first few days or few weeks, he was able to transverse the 27 Local government areas to hear the pulse of people, to hear directly from them, interact with them, their area of interest, area of concern, area of need and prioritize them.
“Alhamdulillah ( glory be to God) within the first 100days, he was able to execute physical projects. 120 physical projects within 100 days and I tell you because of the well articulated, fashioned 10point agenda, with Governor Zulum there’s no dull moment, because at every moment he always has one thing to do or the other to make life better for the people of Borno State.”
Comrade Haruna also explained that Governor Zulum came prepared to serve the people as a governor after serving as a commissioner in the past administration.
“I want to tell you, he has never nurse the ambition of governorship but Allah in his infinite mercy decided to bring him on board to serve the people of Borno State at this most trying moment in the history of Borno State and as a former commissioner for Reconstruction, Rehabilitation and resettlement whose mandate is to reconstruct, resettle and rehabilitate places, town, villages, Hamlet, that were destroyed by Boko Haram gives him a better chance, better opportunity, to understand Borno State and Allah in his infinite mercy gives him the ticket to become the governor.”
Governor Zulum’s Developmental Strides
The Senior Special Assistant on Media also highlighted the developmental strides of the governor over the past 3 years in the area of security, agriculture, road construction, education and so on.
He said: “I don’t have one word to describe that but believe you me for people outside, they need to come in to Borno to see what is happening.
“One thing we always want to say, yes Borno is on the path of recovery, there is relative peace in Borno State now. Before now, we only have one route that takes one from Maiduguri to other part of the country but alhamdulillah as I’m talking to you now, all the major roads that links Maiduguri in and out are accessible. You can move freely without security patrol or security guide, before now farmers were restricted to camps at the internally displaced persons camp. These are peasant farmers and are known to be people of self reliant and hard work, but they are subjected to live in a camp for 12years.
“Governor Babagana Zulum mean what he said because he has put security as number one part of his agenda. He has transverse the state, all the nooks and crannies. You always see him engaging the military trying to create for people to go back to their ancestral home and thank God, the 2021 tropical season was relatively peaceful, better and we are expecting the 2022 tropical farming season will be much better than what we experience before.
“Let me give you an example, Baga is a famous town for his fishing and agriculture. Professor Babagana Zulum ensures that the community returns and as I’m talking to you now, it’s now history. If you go to Baga, you won’t believe they had challenges before now. If you go to Gamboru -Gala that leads us to Cameroon, Chad, it was a story that you cannot access that place but Thank God you can drive in to Gamboru ri -Gala within one day.
“Another international border that links us with the Cameroon is the Banki. Banki was in the news for some couple of months. It was ceded to a ghost town but now if you go, you won’t believe that there was a challenges before, so also in Damasak recently, the Governor invited the governor of Kebbi to come and see things for himself how irrigation farming took place. This is to tell you that peace is gradually returning by the day to Borno State.
“And then most recently, is the Maiduguri, Biu-Damboa axis. It was also closed for quite sometimes as a result of the insurgency but the place is now opened. People can travel to Damboa.
“Damboa is another food basket of the State. You can imagine a town that on market days, about 30 trucks will be going out with food items, grains and what have you that were subjected to staying in one place. Alhamdulillah, things have started picking up and the livelihood as I’m talking to you now because people are eager to go back to farm and this has motivated him to also see that he has good relationship with the military, the civilian JTF, hunters to see that a relative peace returns and what have you now. All these places I’ve talked about are free. You can access them and people that have returned are already in their farmland preparing for farming. This goes to tell you that with this development, there’s relative peace in Borno State.”
Comrade Haruna described Governor Zulum as a God-fearing and a hardworking person who is determined to give the people of Borno state the best.
“In anything you are do, have conscience, you have the feeling of your people at heart, promoting good governance, good interactions, well articulated. It all boils down to that. The governor as an individual is a God fearing person, straightforward, down to earth. He believes that whatever is worth doing is worth doing right, and these are the kind of leaders we are looking for in Nigeria it’s not that they are not there, but they’re not giving the opportunity to be there. We are lucky in Borno State to have Prof Babagana Zulum at this time to lead us in that capacity. Probably, that makes people to realize that yes there’s a gap that this man is closing and alhamdulillah he is closing the gap and his governance is more transparent, accountable and he always believe that if you have an issue or something to contribute positively to the society irrespective of wherever you are, he is ready to listen to see how he will partner with you to promote that idea that you have. Generally, Babagana Umar Zulum is humble very hardworking, very very hardworking.”
Political Ambition as Vice-President
The SSA Media said: “The governor has been talking at every fora that he has no ambition to vie for the Vice Presidential ticket; that he has a covenant with the people of Borno, that he is out here to serve and the first four years alhamdulillah has been remarkable. He has executed over 800 visible projects and policies that are meant to ensure good governance, promote livelihood, ensure citizens are taking out of their present predicaments that we are in on his personal recovery drive.
“He believes he still has something to offer to the people of Borno so he’s not in a haste to aspire for Vice President for now. Governor Zulum is not the type of person that feels you should be looking for power. He believes that power comes from God, that God gives whosoever he wants at the time he wanted. He has the feeling that yes, he has something to offer to Borno people he wants to add value to the life of Borno people.
“And this is exactly what he’s doing. I’m coming back to tell you that yes in the last three and half years there’s no part of that 10 pacts agenda he has not touched and believe me the touch of the pacts has positive impact on the lives of Borno people be it physical, be it empowerment, recovery drive or what have you. If you look at it objectively, you will know there’s a vibrant government in Borno state.
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