By Kayode Idowu
Borno State Governor Kashim Shettima on Sunday said he had been a sad man since he assumed office three years ago.
He said he had only been smiling to appear cheerful.
“If I have to open up to all of you
here; most of the time, I try to wear smiles on my face but in the true
sense, I have had very few moments of inner joy and happiness in the
last three years,” Shettima said.
He said this while bemoaning the
activities of the violent Islamic sect, Boko Haram, which has its base
in Maiduguri, the Borno State capital.
The governor spoke at the inauguration of 22 units of model housing for the people of Maffa, in the outskirts of Maiduguri.
He said, “One of the few moments of my
inner joy, like I said earlier, is our gathering here to formally launch
the Borno State Stalk Houses Eradication Programme, which is an
ambitious scheme that is targeted at gradually eliminating stalk houses
in different parts of Borno State and replacing them with model houses,
at no cost to the beneficiaries.
“Today is one of the few moments of my
life since I assumed the leadership of Borno State as governor in nearly
three years that I could said to be truly happy. You all know the
traumatic experiences we have been facing as a state since 2009, you
will recall that in 2011, we took over administration and continued to
manage the unfortunate insurgency that brought very tragic and
unforgettable experiences to our beloved heritage, Borno.”
Members of Boko Haram, a group opposed
to Western education and with an objective to Islamise Nigeria, began
waging war against the Federal Government in 2009.
They have launched many attacks at
military and police facilities, churches, mosques, markets and drinking
joints in different parts of the north and Abuja.
In June 2011, a lone suicide bomber from
the group attacked the police headquarters in Abuja, killing one
policeman while about 70 cars were burnt.
In August 2011, the group also bombed the UN office in Abuja, killing a total of 45 persons.
On Christmas Day same 2011, members of
the sect bombed the St. Theresa’s Catholic Church in Madalla, Niger
State, killing at least 43 parishioners.
Since then, the death toll from the sect’s attacks had been in tens.
Just on Sunday, there were reports that
members of the group attacked yet another village, Izge, in Gwoza Local
Government Area of Borno State and killed 93 persons in the evening of
Saturday.
On the account of the violence being
perpetrated by the sect, especially in the North-East region, Borno as
well as Yobe and Adamawa states have been under emergency rule since May
2013.
Meanwhile, Shettima said the state
government would construct 250 houses for 800 residents of Bulabulin
Ngarnam in Maiduguri, who were displaced by the Boko Haram crisis.
He said this while inspecting the site for the construction of the houses, near the Maiduguri Flour Mills.
Shettima said the gesture was aimed at providing shelter to the victims, who had lost their property to the crisis.
Bulabulin Ngarnam was rendered homeless last year after a military operation, which demolished structures in the area.
The area was believed to be the hideout and operational base of the Boko Haram insurgents.
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