Zulum Targets End to Medical Tourism as Shettima Commissions 400-Bed Teaching Hospital

By: Michael Mike

Borno State Governor, Babagana Zulum, has intensified efforts to curb medical tourism with the establishment of a 400-bed teaching hospital equipped with advanced diagnostic technology and specialist healthcare facilities in Maiduguri.

Vice-President Kashim Shettima on Friday commissioned the Kashim Ibrahim University Teaching Hospital alongside other key projects delivered by the Zulum administration, in a move aimed at expanding access to quality healthcare and strengthening medical training in the North-east.

The hospital, which combines specialist medical services with the training of healthcare professionals, is expected to reduce the need for patients in Borno and neighbouring communities to travel elsewhere for advanced diagnosis and treatment.

Equipped with a 1.5-tesla magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scanner, a 160-slice computed tomography (CT) scanner, three conventional and two mobile X-ray machines, three 4D ultrasound machines, a fluoroscopy system and digital mammography equipment, the facility is designed to expand access to specialised medical services.

Its infrastructure also includes 13 specialist departments covering diagnostic, medical, surgical, emergency, paediatric, internal medicine and physiotherapy services, among others.

The project comprises a medical college complex, a students’ hostel, a 200-unit staff estate and an oxygen plant complex, providing supporting infrastructure for patient care, medical education and healthcare delivery.

Beyond reducing the burden of seeking treatment outside the state, the hospital is expected to serve residents of neighbouring communities and people across the Lake Chad region, while improving access to specialist care for underserved populations.

It is also expected to strengthen healthcare manpower development by providing training opportunities for doctors, nurses and allied health professionals, helping to address shortages that have constrained healthcare delivery in Borno and the wider North-east.

Speaking at the commissioning, Shettima commended Zulum for investing in institutions capable of delivering lasting benefits to the state, particularly in healthcare and education.

He said the value of public office should ultimately be measured by the institutions established, infrastructure delivered and lives improved, rather than the privileges associated with political positions.

“We shall be judged by what survives our time in office, the offices we held, the aides who surrounded us, and the length of our convoys will have surrendered their importance. What will endure are the institutions we built, the roads we built and the lives we improved through service. That is the meaning of our gathering here in Maiduguri. That is why this occasion brings me such joy,” the Vice-President said.

Shettima said the hospital and the schools established by the state government reflected Zulum’s commitment to rebuilding Borno through investments that directly affect people’s lives.

“According to Carl Sagan’s law of insignificance, 100 years from now, everyone you know or who knows you will be out of this world. This is why I do not doubt the vision of His Excellency Professor Babagana Umara Zulum; his passion for healthcare and education is expressed in the institution before us,” he said.

He added that the teaching hospital and schools being established across Maiduguri and other parts of the state demonstrated the governor’s conviction that recovery must translate into tangible improvements in healthcare and access to education.

“The ultra-modern Kashim Ibrahim University Teaching Hospital and the school that dotted our landscape in Maiduguri and across the state give substance to his belief that Borno recovery must reach the patient awaiting treatment and the child sitting in a place in the classroom,” Shettima said.

In the education sector, the Vice-President also commissioned Yerwa Practice Mega Primary School, built by the Zulum administration, and another mega primary school delivered under the Kashim Shettima Free Education Programme.

The programme, regarded as one of the Vice-President’s key education initiatives, provides free education for orphans and vulnerable children.

The projects underscore the Borno government’s strategy of linking post-conflict recovery with investments in essential public services, particularly healthcare and education.

For a state grappling with the long-term effects of insurgency, expanding access to specialist medical services and strengthening the institutions responsible for training health workers remain critical to improving living conditions and rebuilding public infrastructure.

The new teaching hospital is expected to provide a major boost to those efforts by bringing advanced diagnostic services, specialist treatment and medical training together in one institution.

Zulum Targets End to Medical Tourism as Shettima Commissions 400-Bed Teaching Hospital

Suspected ISWAP Member, Wife and Sons Surrender to Troops in Borno

By: Zagazola Makama

A suspected member of the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP), alongside his wife and sons, has surrendered to troops in Pulka, Gwoza Local Government Area of Borno State.

Security sources told Zagazola Makama that the surrender occurred at about 3:54 p.m. on Oct. 21 at the Forward Operating Base (FOB) Pulka.

The sources said the suspected terrorist surrendered to troops of 192 Battalion (Motorised), under 26 Task Force Brigade.

Preliminary investigations revealed that the family had escaped from the Wuja terrorist enclave on the Mandara Mountains before surrendering to the troops.

One mobile phone was recovered from the family.

The suspected terrorist and his family are currently in military custody for further investigation and necessary action.

The development comes amid ongoing military operations aimed at dismantling terrorist enclaves and encouraging members of insurgent groups to abandon violence and surrender to security forces.

Suspected ISWAP Member, Wife and Sons Surrender to Troops in Borno

Ajakuta: Borno loses infrastructure worth billions to scavengers, Zulum says

By: Our Reporter

Borno State Governor, Babagana Umara Zulum, has revealed that the state has lost metals, electrical materials and infrastructure worth billions of naira to scavengers, locally known as Ajakuta.

He said this, among other security concerns, led to a ban on the scrap metal trade in Borno State.

The Governor disclosed this on Saturday while addressing operators, urging them to submit proposals on how they can continue their businesses without contributing to insecurity or destroying public infrastructure.

Zulum explained that the ban was imposed in the overall interest of the state and not to deprive operators of their livelihood.

He stressed that the government had no personal interest in stopping their businesses, adding that the measure aimed to protect public assets and strengthen security.

Governor Zulum said, “It is deeply concerning to me if one person loses his livelihood for whatever reason in Borno; believe me, there is nothing I stand to gain from banning scrap metal trade rather than addressing the serious security concerns associated with your activities.”

“We spent more than N3 billion to connect an electricity distribution line from Damaturu to Maiduguri, but unfortunately we lost all the wires to the metal scavenging activities. Before the ban, hundreds of your members were killed in the process of scavenging for metals in the villages that are not yet safe for civilian activities.”

“We have security intelligence that even the insurgents use your platforms to sell looted metals. So, no responsible government will ignore such intelligence just to be politically correct.”

He further granted a waiver allowing the operators to evacuate stock accumulated before the ban at selected locations, a move intended to ease the impact of the restriction on genuine businesses.

Ajakuta: Borno loses infrastructure worth billions to scavengers, Zulum says