Ten months into the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari, Governor Kashim Shettima of Borno State has announced that his state is now free of terror.
While Governor Shettima was quick to concede that the Boko Haram terrorist group had not been annihilated, he said despite occasional hiccups, “Borno is now free.”
Governor Shettima, who disclosed this while on a visit to the Director General of National Emergency Management Agency, NEMA, Muhammad Sidi, in Abuja yesterday, said: “10 months ago, one could not travel for 10 kilometres without encountering terrorists.”
He added that then, Maiduguri was the only relatively safe haven, adding “yes, we still have occasional hiccups, but Boko Haram has been so decimated that they can no longer threaten the corporate existence of Nigeria.”
He noted that peace was gradually returning to the state, expressing optimism that by year-end, all internally displaced persons, IDPs, would have returned to their homes.
Praising NEMA for its support to Borno State, the governor solicited for greater support, saying the state is home to 90 percent of IDPs in the country.
According to him, out of 2.5 million IDPs in Nigeria, Maiduguri alone is host to 1.7 million, while there are nearly 200,000 IDPs in camps scattered around the state.
On the vexed issue of the missing 219 Chibok girls, the governor was optimistic that the girls were still alive and would be rescued soon.
In his remarks, DG of NEMA, Sidi, lauded the governor for embarking on the reconstruction of liberated areas, urging him not to be deterred by occasional and isolated terrorist attacks on soft targets.
Michael Shokunbi
The mark of leadership, indication of seriousness, distant from mediocrity and lack of purpose that pervaded regime of previous government
For once Nigeria placed somebody from the ivory tower in charge of their destiny, they came out of that arrangement disappointed pillaged bruised and pauperized and yet to recover
With President Buhari in saddle of power for a while are we seeing results, what Jonathan could not do in eight years is being routed, slightly over a year in power and did i not read somewhere that Jonathan Goodluck advanced the course and cause of democracy without any result to show for that claim, when all facts pointed at his dismissal abysmal failure
It was said during election process that he was not qualified, did not even have W.A.E.C, the minimal educational requirement for the office, whilst the sitting president Jonathan wield a useless undeserving PhD in zoology, which better placed him to at least regard Nigeria as pilot case for zoological experiment, since zoological animals were treated better even in restrictive environment, well catered for and respected, at least they were fed and provided for
Nigeria needs quality leadership like we have currently in President Buhari and has it now, all indices points to that fact