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Zulum: A Beacon Of Hope To Borno’s Less Privileged People

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Zulum: A Beacon Of Hope To Borno’s Less Privileged People

By Gbenga Akingbule 

Born without a silver spoon and  struggled through hardwork, perseverance  and unwavering desire to succeed,  Borno State Governor,  Prof Babagana Zulum has since become a household name especially amongst the less privileged persons in the state .

Prof. Zulum is always quick  to share stories  about his  humble beginning amongst the high and mighty,  a gesture observers view as rare display of humility amongst Nigeria’s political elite 

Upon assumption of office  in 2019 , Prof Zulum has consistently associated himself with the less privileged,-  his former constituency where he got first hand experience of the difficult economic hardship bedeveling many Nigerian less privileged people.  

Driven by compassion and his  gennue concern to assist the common people, Prof Zulum had on different occasion while on  visit to the hinterland,  ordered for the immediate halting of his motorcade just to  assist locals walking long distance by giving them a ride on his convoy and also give them cash support.  

Pfrof Zulum passion to liberate his people from the shackles of poverty and education backwardness has led to rise in budgetary provisions and fund releases for the education sector and key ministries that are aimed at empowering the common people.  

For the 2024 buget,  the Ministry of Education was  allocated  the sum of N39 billion to carry out its activities- this effort , amongst others , has removed over one million out- of – school children off the streets of Borno and returned them to the classrooms where their future are being positively shaped to become responsible and productive members of the society.  

”  Out of 1.8 million out -of- school children in 2021, we have taken measures to reduce the number to less that 800. We’re still working assiduously bring down the number ”  Commissioner of Education,  Science , Technology  and Innovation,  Engineer  Lawan Abba Wakilbe said 

No doubt,  the more than a decade long  insurgency in Borno  State had led many children and their parents to flee trouble areas,  thereby obstructing their education where massive destruction to education facilities across the state was evident .

At  a recent function during a public  lecture  held at University of Maiduguri (UNIMAID ) which form part activities to mark the exit of the former Vice Chancellor of the Institution, Prof . Aliyu Shugaba  after completing  his 5 year tenure,  Prof Zulum didn’t mince words when he charged the sea of erudite scholars  present at  the occasion, majority of whom are indigens of Borno State to think outside the box and collaborate to use education as tool for liberating the people of the state .

Zulum was quick to trip down memory lane and revealed how he battled through pletoral of obstacles in his unquenchable quest to gain quality education that has since transformed his life to become a professor of  Soil  and Water Engineer and currently serving his second term as governor of Borno state. 

” coming from my background,  I know how I  suffered , where we do not have competent teachers to teach us in our primary and secondary school.  I never thought I would be a professor,  because both of my parents were not educated,  nobody ever told me to do my assignment while in primary school,  I was on my own.” Zulun said . 

It was therefore not surprising when Governor Zulum recently released the sum of N4.8 Billion as scholarship award to 524  postgraduate  students  from the state , including orphans and less privileged persons.  

 The  scholarship  award according to the governor is meant for  foriegn and local postgraduate students in Science, Technology,  Engineering and Mathematics ( STEM) 

In his usual humanitarian and compassion towards the the less privileged irrespective of ethnicity,  tribe or religion governor Zulum during an early morning visit to a school in Maiduguri,  the state capital gifted a woman form the South East part of the country- a teacher in the  school with the sum of N100, 000 cash for always  showing up eally to her duty post . 

Also , recently,  during a visit to launch grains given to the state by Federal Government , Prof Zulum, shortly after the occasion went towards the direction of the local guard guarding the premises and immediately ordered that the sum of N500 000 be given to him – an amount that is more that his 12 month salary.

The 80 year Chadian  local guard who had lived in Nigeria for over four decades and has over 20 Children was stunned by the governor’s gesture and said the money will go a long way in ameliorating his financial challenges.  

Furthermore, 63 year old Cecelia Joseph, a widow and mother of six children who  was part of the one hundred thousand households that benefited from massive food support scheme carried out by the Borno State Governor.

The aim of the food  support according to Goverenor Zulum is to ameliorate economic hardship being experienced by many vulnerable families across state  including the likes of Cecilia whose husband, a commercial taxi driver was gruesomely murdered by suspected Boko Haram Terrorists over ten years ago. 

Since the demise of her husband,  Cecilia  who had continue to feed from hand to mouth  with her six children revealed that Governor Zulum is the first to have reached out to her with any form of assistance- the food support , she said ” will assist me and my six children immensely ” 

Prof Zulum had ordered that the food support should  be given to all vulnerable residents irrespective of  tribe , religion and political affiliations hence paving the way for Cecilia who hails from far away  Osun State, a devoted Christ Apostolic Church (CAC) member as well as other beneficiaries who are not indigens of the state .

” I’m so grateful to Governor Zulum for wiping away my tears with this food support. But I would appreciate more support from the governor and other well meaning citizens  for the education on my children.  ”  Cecelia  who currently lives in a rented accommodation on the outskirts of Maiduguri , the state capital said .

Governor Zulum had revealed during one of the many food distribution in  the state that  ” We have never distinguish between Christians and Muslims in our food distribution.  What we’re doing is not partisan either , it’s not based on ethnicity or religion ; we advised the community to select one hundred thousand most valuable and bottom poor and this will go a long way in ameliorating the suffering of the masses ” 

While warehouses were being looted acros the country during  the # EndSARS protests,  residents of Borno  state were full of gratitude to Governor Zulum for always coming to their aid with his unprecedented distribution of food ,  cash and clothing to assist the less privileged.  

Following the release of N2 Billion intervention by the President Bola Tinubu  led Federal governmen to cushion the effect of fuel subsidy  removal Prof.  Zulum had announced raising the number of households being targeted for palliatives from 300,000 to 400,000 households. 

Each household according to the Governor,  will be made up of six family members and  multiplied by 400,000 which, by implication, moves Zulum’s new target to two million and four hundred thousand  individuals. 

“Governor Zulum has continued to stand in the gap for many of the less privileged people in Borno state ”  Umar Ali, one of those that recently benefited from the food support scheme established by the governor.

Zulum: A Beacon Of Hope To Borno’s Less Privileged People

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Troops recover 48 rustled cattle in Plateau community

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Troops recover 48 rustled cattle in Plateau community

By: Zagazola Makama

Troops under Operation PEACE EAGLE (OPEP) have recovered 48 rustled cattle in Yelwa village, Heipang District of Barkin Ladi Local Government Area of Plateau State.

Security sources said the recovery followed a distress call received at about 0635 hours on Wednesday reporting the rustling of cattle belonging to a resident of the community.

Troops of Sector 4 OPEP were immediately deployed to the area where they conducted a search and rescue operation across surrounding bushes and grazing routes.

The 48 recovered cattle were subsequently handed over to the rightful owner after due verification.

Authorities said troops have continued sustained patrols in the general area to track the perpetrators and prevent further incidents of cattle rustling and related criminal activities.

The operation is part of ongoing efforts to restore peace and security in parts of Plateau State affected by farmer-herder-related tensions.

Troops recover 48 rustled cattle in Plateau community

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Troops arrest three suspected log suppliers in Kwara

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Troops arrest three suspected log suppliers in Kwara

By: Zagazola Makama

Troops of Operation SAVANNAH SHIELD have arrested three suspected log suppliers in Kaiama Local Government Area of Kwara State for alleged involvement in illegal supply activities.

Security sources said the suspects were apprehended at about 1315 hours on Wednesday by troops of Sector 1, operating from Forward Operating Base (FOB) Kaiama.

The arrest followed routine operational checks and intelligence-led patrols in the area.

The suspects were subsequently handed over to troops of 22 Brigade for further investigation and necessary action.

Military authorities said the operation forms part of ongoing efforts to curb criminal logistics networks and disrupt support structures aiding armed groups in the region.

They added that troops have continued sustained surveillance and patrols across border communities to prevent the movement of illicit materials and criminal supplies.

Troops arrest three suspected log suppliers in Kwara

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Kwibuka 32: Rwanda Sounds Alarm on Evolving Genocide Ideology, Demands Global Accountability

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Kwibuka 32: Rwanda Sounds Alarm on Evolving Genocide Ideology, Demands Global Accountability

By: Michael Mike

Rwanda has issued a powerful warning to the world as it marks the 32nd anniversary of the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi, cautioning that the dangerous ideologies that fueled the mass killings have not disappeared—but are mutating in more sophisticated and far-reaching ways.

Speaking at a solemn commemoration in Abuja, the Rwandan High Commissioner to Nigeria, Moses Rugema, urged the global community to move beyond ceremonial remembrance and confront the persistent and evolving threat of genocide ideology, particularly in an era shaped by digital influence and artificial intelligence.

The event, held under the theme “Remember. Unite. Renew.”, marked Kwibuka 32, an annual period of reflection on one of the darkest chapters in modern history.

He said: “Remembrance must carry responsibility. It is not enough to honour the dead—we must actively resist the forces that made such atrocities possible.”

He recalled the scale of the Genocide against the Tutsi, in which more than one million people were systematically killed within 100 days in 1994. The envoy stressed that the genocide was not a spontaneous eruption of violence, but a calculated campaign driven by propaganda, division and state-backed extremism.

Drawing a direct line between the past and present, Rugema warned that similar patterns are re-emerging globally, now amplified by technology.

“The tools may have changed, but the intent has not. Today, hate can spread faster, deeper and more dangerously through digital platforms,” he said, noting that misinformation, denial and distortion are increasingly weaponised to rewrite history and inflame divisions.

He called for stronger international legal frameworks, improved civic education and stricter accountability measures to counter what he described as a “resilient and adaptive threat.”

Rugema also revisited the failure of the international community during the 1994 crisis, stating that early warning signs were ignored and the scale of the violence was initially downplayed. At the United Nations Security Council, only a handful of voices—including Nigeria’s former envoy, Ibrahim Gambari—pressed for recognition of the atrocities as genocide.

The killings were eventually halted by forces of the Rwandan Patriotic Front, led by current President Paul Kagame, ushering in a new chapter focused on national rebuilding.

Highlighting Rwanda’s recovery, Rugema pointed to deliberate policies aimed at unity and reconciliation, including the dismantling of ethnic classifications and the use of community-based justice systems such as gacaca courts, which enabled millions of cases to be heard while fostering dialogue and healing.

Yet, he warned that the work is far from over.

“Genocide ideology is not confined to history—it is a present danger,” he said, citing ongoing instability in parts of Africa’s Great Lakes region and the growing normalization of hate speech globally.

Also addressing the gathering, the UN Resident Humanitarian Coordinator in
Nigeria, Mohamed Fall described the commemoration as a call to action for the international community to prevent future atrocities.

Represented by the UN Women Coordinator to Nigeria and ECOWAS, Beatrice Eyong, Fall emphasised that the genocide was enabled by sustained propaganda and exclusionary policies.

“Mass atrocities do not begin with weapons—they begin with words,” Fall said. “And today, those words travel faster than ever.”

He warned that the unchecked spread of hate speech and incitement in the digital space poses a growing global risk, urging governments to strengthen legal protections, uphold international law and fully implement the Genocide Convention.

Both speakers stressed that remembrance must translate into concrete action, insisting that the phrase “Never Again” risks becoming hollow if not backed by political will and societal vigilance.

As the world reflects on Kwibuka 32, Rwanda’s message was unmistakable: the cost of indifference has already been written in blood—and failing to act now could allow history to repeat itself.

Kwibuka 32: Rwanda Sounds Alarm on Evolving Genocide Ideology, Demands Global Accountability

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