By HAMZA SULEIMAN

Gov. Babagana Zulum of Borno on Wednesday hosted the Ambassadors of India, Egypt, Indonesia, Philippines, Turkey, Malaysia and Qatar in Maiduguri.

The delegation was accompanied by the United Nations (UN) Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator in Nigeria, Mr Mohamed Malick Fall, and the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, Mr Bernard Doro.

The working visit was convened to enable the partners to undertake a first-hand assessment of the humanitarian situation in Borno.

During the visit, the Acting Governor, Alhaji Usman Kadafur, led the delegation on a tour of some legacy projects of Zulum’s led administration in education, health and human capital development.

Speaking to journalists after the tour, Fall commended Zulum for what he described as impressive infrastructure development in the state.

“But we want to show that beyond the headlines we always see around security challenges, there are things that are taking place which are transformative in Borno State,” he said.

The diplomat cited the education programme, girl-child education initiative, vocational training centres and malnutrition treatment facilities as evidence of efforts to change the dynamics of people’s lives.

“All of these show the effort that has been made to change the dynamic of what people are really going through.

“I think, given the importance of education and the investment he (Zulum) is making in the sector, it clearly shows the vision of the leadership of the state.

“This vision in understanding that if you want to change the game, you have to touch the root cause of the crises, and one of the root causes is good education for the children of the state,” Fall said.

However, Doro, also expressed satisfaction with the level of development in the state despite years of conflicts.

“I have to say that I am very happy with what I have seen the state of development, despite the fact that this state has seen crises that have lasted for over 10 years,” he said.

According to him, the governor has demonstrated leadership by investing in vocational training centres, comprehensive schools and other facilities designed to train and graduate people out of poverty.

“As a minister of humanitarian affairs and poverty reduction, I’m really happy with this,” Doro added. (NAN)

• Governor Zulum with ambassadors and humanitarian officials during a working visit in Maiduguri, Borno State.

Photo credit: Vanguard.

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