Zulum Appreciates Borno Citizens In Second-Term Inaugural Address

In a heartfelt address marking the commencement of his second term, Governor Babagana Umara Zulum of Borno State has expressed his profound gratitude to the citizens of the state.

The Governor acknowledged the unwavering support and trust placed in him by the people, emphasizing their crucial role in his re-election.

While conveying his appreciation on Monday, Zulum reiterated his commitment to enduring stability and prosperity in Borno State, with a focus on various areas including peacebuilding, education, healthcare, and vocational training.

The governor emphasized the significance of achieving peace in the state.

He highlighted the successful resettlement of one million displaced citizens to newly built and rehabilitated homes. 

He commended the efforts of the military, police and other security agencies, as well as the Civilian Joint Task Force, hunters and vigilantes, for their gallantry in securing peace in the state.

He noted that their efforts made it possible for his administration to execute over 700 projects within four years of his first tenure. 

Governor Zulum also addressed the importance of education, announcing the introduction of afternoon primary and secondary school systems to alleviate issues of classroom congestion and provide quality education. 

He pledged to establish centres of excellence for less privileged children, construct additional schools and recruit more teachers to ensure a strong foundation for future professionals.

Zulum also emphasized his administration's commitment to healthcare and vocational training. 

He highlighted the construction and rehabilitation of healthcare centres, recruitment of medical staff and plans for the State University Teaching Hospital. 

Governor Zulum also highlighted the investment in vocational training institutes and centres, aiming to equip the youth with valuable skills for employment and economic empowerment.

He further recognized the sacrifices made by the armed forces, paramilitary personnel and volunteers who lost their lives in the fight against insurgency. 

He stressed the importance of remembering and supporting their families, expressing deep gratitude for their heroic contributions.

"I stand before you today with absolute gratitude to the Almighty Allah, the Giver and taker of power.

 "I stand before you with absolute humility.

"I stand here with the greatest sense of responsibility to you, the good people of Borno State as I accept the mandate to begin our shared journey, which we hope will be of enduring stability and prosperity, for a second term of four years, insha’Allah.

"For me, serving you, the good people of Borno State has been the greatest honour of my life and I hereby reaffirm, that insha’Allah, I will never lose focus in the discharge of my obligation towards the people of Borno State.

"I will like to once again thank you the people of Borno State for renewing our mandate for a second term. 

"I thank all the stakeholders of our party, the APC, from the national to our state, local government and ward levels for their extreme hard work in persuading and mobilizing voters which led to our resounding victory in the February and March 2023 elections.

"Your Excellencies, distinguished ladies and gentlemen, it is expected that standing here to begin another term should make me the happiest person in our midst.

"While this could be true, let me add that what makes me the happiest man here is not the commencement of a second term, but the fact that Allah is granting us peace in Borno State, and with that peace, one million fellow citizens are no longer living in IDP camps. 

"They are safely living with their dignity in over 20,000 newly built and rehabilitated resettlement homes and in their ancestral communities which we rebuilt.

"In a similar vein, we restored civil authority and basic amenities and re-opened for livelihoods.

"Fellow citizens, nothing makes me happy like visiting and seeing our hitherto displaced brothers and sisters living in their safe communities, trying to decently earn livelihoods.

"I am always happy whenever I visit Baga, Damasak, Kala Balge, Monguno, Gwoza, Bama, Damboa, Askira, Banki, Baga, Gamboru, Dikwa, Ngoshe, Kirawa and all other liberated communities across Borno State.

"I am at my happiest level when I see how life has returned to liberated communities and how our fellow citizens go about their social and economic activities not only during the day but also at night.

"This is essentially the reason I enjoy spending nights in local government areas.

"I am happy that with Allah’s Graciousness; with the gallantry of our military, police, DSS, other paramilitary establishments and our volunteers in the CJTF, hunters and vigilantes, Borno secured the peace that enabled us to execute over 700 capital projects sited across our three senatorial zones of north, south and central.

"Ordinarily, I ought to skip enumerating the projects we executed, but I also need to account to you and justify your decision in re-electing us for a second term.

"This is why I should take some time to say that with your support, we came up with a development plan for Borno State and we are following that plan carefully.

"We have built, rehabilitated and equipped over 100 healthcare centres, and we have recruited over 1000 medical staff made up of doctors, nurses, midwives, pharmacists, radiologists and lab scientists. We are currently building our own State University Teaching Hospital.

"With your support, we have invested heavily in our existing state University and commenced academic activities since 2019. 

"We now have Federal Polytechnic in Monguno and a Federal College of Education in Gwoza.

"We have built 24 new mega schools some of which are dedicated to technical education. 

"We rehabilitated 108 existing schools, employed about 1,000 teachers and in the process of recruiting about 4000 more. 

"Your Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen, in the midst of all that we have achieved, we must recognize that without peace, we could never have executed all these projects," Zulum said.