*inspects schools, offices, guest house, farmlands
By; SADIQ ABUBAKAR, Maiduguri
Governor Babagana Umara Zulum of Borno State has physically coordinated and supervised the registration and enrolment of over 10,000 out of school Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) children, drop outs, orphans, children of the poor/less privileged, physically challenged and deceased in Monguno town for two days from Sunday to Monday to remove the children from the streets to rid the streets of miscreants and enhance educational pursuits.
Zulum also noted in an interview with journalists in Monguno that following the displacement of the people by the insurgency and as part of his 10-point Agenda, his government has decided to embark on massive registration and enrolment of thousands of the IDPs children who mostly as drop outs or school age children, have not entered school, purposely to tackle the menace of insecurity and unemployment among other social vices.
He further said that with efforts of federal and state governments to restore peace in the state and subsequent gradual peace being enjoyed, he built schools for both both Western and Eastern education to address issues of illiteracy and insecurity to allow meaningful development and stabilization of socio economic and political activities in the state.
Zulum explained also, “that was why Islamic schools were built in all the three Senatorial Districts” while more will be built and the state government has given Monguno town attention as part of post insurgency rebuilding strategy, assuring continuity in developmental projects across the state to cushion the effects of the insurgency.
He added that all the schools will be digitized and provided with modern technological facilities
to cater for those who want Eastern education in the exercise which was carried out by the Borno State Education Trust Fund (BSETFUND) and had a target of 7,000 children last year, when the exercise kick started by a high powered State Committee on Enrolment of out of school and school age children registration and enrolment into primary and secondary schools from Monguno, Marte, Guzamala and Kukawa LGAs.
The children have been in various designated IDPs camps and host communities in Monguno town for some years, which about 15,000 children from the four LGAs of Borno North were profiled and enrolled into primary and secondary schools.
The governor while addressing the people, appealed to parents and guardians to send their subjects to school to enable them acquire education as future leaders of the country, citing example of himself that, he also went to school before becoming a governor, after his parents sent him to school to acquire both Western and Eastern education, which is important.
He assured the people that his government will do everything possible to provide quality and standard education to all and sundry irrespective of status of the children in the society, especially, the children of IDPs from the worst hit and affected parts of the state that include Marte, Guzamala, Kukawa and Monguno LGAs of Northern Borno.
Zulum further said the number of schools have been established to squarely to accomodate drop outs and out of school children roaming the streets which emanated as a result of the insurgency that displaced the people from their ancestral homes before the emerging peace and return of IDPs back to their communities.
While supervising and coordinating the children’s registration and enrolment physically from desk to desk, LGA to LGA, Zulum urged the parents and guardians to be calm and be cooperative as well as assured that all school age children will be captured, profiled and enrolled into schools even it will warrant some children being sent to schools in Maiduguri city to for their education..
The governor who was accompanied and supported on the exercise by some top government officials, national and State Assembly members, enjoined the parents not to hesitate sending their children for registration and enrolment, including the physically challenged children without any discrimination.
The governor also inspected some completed and ongoing projects including the completed construction works at Monguno High Islamic School, Federal Polytechnic Monguno and farmlands at the outskirts of Monguno town as well as interacted with the farmers that were returning from their farms and later inspected the new Guest House building renovated. by the State Ministry of RRR for staff of Federal Polytechnic Monguno.
He further inspected the new Governor’s Zonal Office Monguno under construction that will also accommodate at least 12 directorate offices for the state ministries of education, health, RRR, agriculture and other directorates/agencies with directors as heads, which are being rehabilitated by Ministry of RRR and a proposed site for the relocation of military formations to the outskirts of Monguno town for the purpose of effective provision of security to lives and property.
