By FEMI IGE
It was barely day break, around 6.00 a.m in the morning, my phone rang but stopped as i was about picking it. Seconds later, the same number called. Good morning the caller said, barely allowing me to pick the call before going into a long narrative. He must have been disturbed overnight.The caller,Alhaji Mohammmed Mishelia was distraught that my last piece on Borno presented the governor as only working on the education front alone. According to banker turned politician , ignoring Shettima’s performances in other sectors was a big disservice that must be corrected.
Reeling out Shettima’s outstanding performances in the provision of houses for Borno Indegenes, Mishelia said no governor among the present generation of governors achieved half of what the Borno helmsman achieved in the housing sector. ’’Boko Haram insurgency really overshadowed the sterling performance of the governor. We have heard about the legendary housing policies of former Lagos State governor, Alhaji Lateef Jakande, but none after him has done more in housing sector than Shettima’’ he argued
Mishelia said the Borno governor built over 30,000 residential houses in estates and post conflict reconstruction zones in the state.
* 2,500 houses and apartments in 6 estates located in Maiduguri
* 11,000 residential houses rebuilt in Bama
* 7,000 residential houses rebuilt in Mobbar
*3,000 residential houses rebuilt in Mafa
*2,500 residential houses rebuilt in Damboa
*2,500 residential houses rebuilt in Gwoza
*2,000 residential houses rebuilt in Konduga
*1,000 residential houses built in Nganzai
*432 houses built in Kaga
Statistics by the United Nation Office for Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UN-OCHA) shows that 6.9 million people needed healthcare interventions in the North-East due to humanitarian crisis caused by the Boko Haram insurgency.
According to the UN agency, a greater percentage of those in need are in Borno, who cannot access quality healthcare services especially in rural communities.
In an attempt to mitigate the effects and transform the sector, the Borno Government embarked on massive reconstruction and rehabilitation of projects to enhance healthcare delivery at the grassroots.
The state government had spent over N4 billion on procurement of medical equipment and another N4 billion on rehabilitation of 248 health facilities ravaged by the terrorists who destroyed over 80 per cent of healthcare facilities, including 19 General Hospitals, which crippled healthcare delivery in the state.
Mr. Mshelia, however, said that in spite of the security challenges posed by the insurgency, the state government initiated viable projects designed to reinvigorate the sector and enhance quality healthcare delivery to the people.
He said the projects were executed in the liberated communities in the 27 local government areas in the past two years, adding that rehabilitation and upgrading works on 19 general hospitals were successfully completed.
He listed the projects to include the general hospitals in Guzamala, Rann, Chibok, Uba, Biu, Askira, Kwayar-Kusar, Mafa, and Dikwa general hospitals.Others are: Mobbar; Shani, Marama, Munguno, Damboa, Ngala, Benisheikh, Konduga, Ngarannam, Kaga, Gwoza and Kukawa general hospitals, adding that plans had reached advanced stage for the establishment of eight new general hospitals in addition to the existing 24.
*The Tailoring plaza in Lamsula area,Maiduguri
He said eight general hospitals had so far been equipped with modern equipment to enhance their operations, and they included Maryam Abacha Women and Children Hospital; Moloi, Shani, Biu, Benisheikh, Gubio, Konduga and Dikwa general hospitals.
“Two other hospitals at Azare and Gajiram have been upgraded to 80-bed Capacity, while work on a 250-bed capacity women and children Hospital was completed,” he said.Governor Shettima has also commissioned a Government built Tailoring and Fashion Design Plaza with 116 shops accompanied with sewing machines for use by three hundred women who include dozens recently trained by an Abuja based Vodi tailoring and Fashion Design Institute on the sponsorship of Borno Government.
The Plaza is located in Lamisula, a densely populated area in Maiduguri. Shops, comprising 60 single and 28 doubles, were allocated to groups of the trained women while sewing and knitting machines were presented to them to enable them start their businesses while payment of one year rent was waved for the women while they are to pay subsequent rents at subsidized rates of N20,000 per annum. According to Mishelia,Borno state is lucky to have a visionary leader like Shettima during this war time.’’The election therefore is not just payback by the IDP’s or those who enjoyed his first class schools,it’s by the whole state.He worked for us and is the only one we can trust to speak for us at the centre’’he summed up.
