Borno State Governor, Babagana Umara Zulum, on Tuesday hosted Ambassadors of India, Egypt, Indonesia, the Philippines, Turkey, Malaysia, and Qatar in Maiduguri.
The delegation was accompanied by the United Nations Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator in Nigeria, Mr. Mohamed Malick Fall, and the Honourable Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, Bernard Doro.
The high-level working visit was convened to enable the partners to undertake a first-hand assessment of the humanitarian situation in Borno State.
The delegation was conducted on a tour of some legacy projects of the Zulum administration in education, health, and human capital development by the Acting Governor, Umar Usman Kadafur.
Speaking to journalists, the UN resident coordinator, Mr. Mohamed Malick Fall, commended Governor Babagana Umara Zulum for the impressive infrastructure development in Borno State.
He stated, “But we want to show that beyond the headlines we see always around security challenges, there are things that are taking place which are transformative in Borno State.”
“The education program we have seen, the girl education program, the vocational training, the malnutrition treatment centre. All of these show the effort that has been made to change the dynamic of what people are really going through.
“I think given the importance of education and the investment he (Governor Zulum) is making in the sector clearly show the vision of the leadership of the state on understanding that if you want to change the game, you have to touch the root cause of the crises, and one of the root causes of the crises is of course good education for the children of the state.”
Also speaking, the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, Bernard Doro, said, “I have to say that I am very happy with what I have seen. The state of development I have seen, despite the fact that this state has seen crises that have lasted for over ten years.”
“The Governor has shown leadership. When we went around, we saw vocational training centres, comprehensive schools, and excellent facilities ready to train and graduate people out of poverty. As a minister of humanitarian affairs and poverty reduction, I’m really happy with this.”
