Borno State Governor, Professor Babagana Umara Zulum, received ambassadors from seven countries alongside senior United Nations and federal government officials during a high-level humanitarian assessment visit to Maiduguri.
The visiting envoys were ambassadors of India, Egypt, Indonesia, the Philippines, Turkey, Malaysia and Qatar.
The delegation was led by the United Nations Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator in Nigeria, Mr. Mohamed Malick Fall, and accompanied by the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, Mr. Bernard Doro.
The visit was aimed at allowing development partners to conduct a first-hand assessment of the humanitarian situation in Borno State, which has been affected by more than a decade of insurgency.
During the visit, the delegation toured several legacy projects of the Zulum administration in the areas of education, healthcare, vocational training and human capital development. The tour was conducted by the Acting Governor of Borno State, Umar Usman Kadafur.
Speaking to journalists after the inspection, Mr. Mohamed Malick Fall commended Governor Zulum for what he described as impressive and transformative infrastructure development, particularly in the education sector.
“Beyond the headlines we often see about security challenges, there are transformative things happening in Borno State,”
“The education programmes we have seen, especially girl-child education, vocational training centres and malnutrition treatment facilities, show deliberate efforts to change the realities on ground.”
He added that the governor’s investment in education demonstrates a clear understanding of the root causes of conflict.
“If you want to change the game, you have to address the root causes of crises, and one of those root causes is quality education for children,”
Also speaking, the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, Bernard Doro, expressed satisfaction with the level of development in the state despite years of conflict.
“I am very happy with what I have seen. Despite over ten years of crisis, the level of development here is impressive,”
“The governor has shown strong leadership. We visited vocational training centres, comprehensive schools and well-equipped facilities that are clearly designed to train people and lift them out of poverty. As Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Reduction, this is very encouraging.”