By; SADIQ ABUBAKAR, Maiduguri
The North East Governors Forum (NEGF) Chairman and Borno State Governor, Professor Babagana Umara Zulum has opined that poverty is the major cause of Boko Haram insurgency in Borno State and the North East region.
The governor also suggested that there is the need for collective efforts to rid terrorism in the state and zone, hence security is the responsibility of everybody not only the government at any level.
Zulum stated this when members of the Barewa Old Boys’ Association (BOBA) Local Organizing Committee (LOC) and National Executive Council (NEC) led by the National President, Engineer Dahiru Ibrahim paid him a courtesy call at the Government House Council Chamber Maiduguri on Saturday.
He added that the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) had on November 17, said that at least, 133 million Nigerians are suffering from multi dimensional poverty.
Zulum noted further that a good leadership could have been a panacea to the Boko Haram insurgency at the beginning or emergence of the crisis, pointing out that, thousands of people have lost their lives and property from the insurgency regrettably, while about two million citizens of Borno State have been displaced since the crisis started in 2009.
“Once there is no good leadership, nothing can be achieved. As leaders, we need to ensure discipline and accountability and above all, monitoring and evaluation.
“For we the leaders, there is the need to do the needful, create the enabling environment for people to find their means of livelihood. The nexus between peace, security, and development should not be over-emphasized, if there is no peace, no development.
“The constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria has clearly spelt out that security is under the control of the Federal Government but that does not mean that the state governments are not important, but they also play a critical role in the situation within the state,” Zulum said.
He however, commended the association and elder statesmen in their midst, who have held important positions at the federal and state levels in the past, where five former heads of state or presidents of Nigeria are alumni of the college, including ministers, military governors, federal permanent secretaries, managing directors and chief executives of big and reputable public and private organizations.
The governor further assured the association of his personal and government’s support and partnership with the association, particularly on education to revive the state education sector and also improve in the leadership quality of the Northern part of the country, by extension, the country at large.
He wished them a fruitful 2022 annual public lecture and awards dunner.
Earlier in his address, the National President if BOBA, Engineer Dahiru Ibrahim said the association decided to hold its 2022 annual public and awards dinner in Maiduguri, Borno State capital for the first time since the creation of the association.abiut 80 years ago to influence quality and proper development to the North East zone, following the devastating effects of the insurgency which has ravaged the state and region for over a decade.
He however, appreciated the efforts and sacrifices of Governor Zulum in his last three years of leadership and applauded the remarkable achievements he has laid on ground as a legacy for future generations to reckon with.
The National President also assured the governor that the outcome of the association’s meeting would be useful to the state leadership and nation at large as challenges of leadership are intended to be discussed in a key note public lecture to be delivered by His Eminence, the Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar when the meeting is declared open.
