Vice President, Kashim Shettima, GCON At 58: A Birthday Wish And A Call For Attention

By: A G Abubakar

I wish to join the millions of people of Nigeria , Borno State and especially those from Borno South in wishing His Excellency a happy birthday. We pray to Allah swt to grant him a long, long life in good health and wisdom in the service of the motherland and humanity. This birthday, coming after the first anniversary of the current Administration, is significant in more ways than one. First, the take-off challenges associated with a new Administration, would have been reasonably addressed. Second, the government vision should have been gotten clearer. We wish you and the President, C in C, well.

The onerous task of leading a huge and diverse nation like Nigeria, can not be taken for granted. But for sure, you and your principal, Mr. President C-in-C is more than capable. History, experience, and the prayers of patriots are with you. May you keep doing His will, especially when it comes to justice and fair play for all Nigerians.

This humble birthday wish, Your Excellency, is also intended to draw your attention to the challenges of infrastructure deficits in your backyard; the Southern flank of Borno State. A state you superintended its affairs for 8 years in executive capacity and much more as a member of the State’s Executive Council (Exco). As the number two man in nation, you are in a good state to enhance your home base and also leave an enduring legacy behind if you could pay attention to the physical and social infrastructure decay across Southern Borno. A region whose electoral value cannot be taken for granted. Most astute politicians take pride in flaunting their complete electoral safety on the “home front.”
Southern Borno had been veritable part of the Borno political experience. Whether as a “one party” state since the GNPP era in the 80s through to the current APC or as a victim of the decade and a half Boko Haram insurgency.

However, Your Excellency, while Southern Borno has shared the pains of the State, the opportunities that acrue to the polity has been less reflective of this fact. The Gwoza IDPs in Cameroon are still there. The majority of the Chibok girls are yet to come home and the issue seemingly getting relegated.

Biu town believed to be the defector political centre of Southern Borno has its roads and water infrastructure in complete state of ruins. Your Excellency may be in a position to attest to this fact since information has it that you had a stint in one of the post primary institutions at Biu in the 80s. And might even be conversant with the popular “gauta da yaji” (spiced garden egg) delicacy, or take a few steps of what looks like the Ethiopian eskista-themed Waksha-Waksha dance!

The Biu Dam conceived about 40 years ago is yet to deliver a drop of water to Biu Town and environs. The vision of irrigation in the circumstance doesn’t arise as the domestic needs could not be met as a matter of priority. If the Dam had come on line twenty years ago, it would have been ripe for desilting/dredging. In fact President Obasanjo as far back as 9th, July, 2000. communicated the willingness of his government to partner with the Borno State Government to complete the Biu Dam, but to no avail. The state government has not been able to prioritise it with all seriousness.

There have been symbolic concerns in the recent past, Your Excellency, but be rest assured that it could only go as far. The supply system which is one of the critical aspects of potable water delivery, hasn’t been articulated. Your government shouldn’t allow the Biu Dam to become another white elephant project in the North East. So much hope and resources shall be at stake, needlessly.

As regards roads linking Biu, the town has literally and metaphorically been at a serious crossroads. Litera, ly Biu town sits on the intersection of two major highways. One, from North to South and the other East to West. The North-South highway links Damaturu the Yobe State capital via Biu to Gombi in Adamawa state over a distance of about 225 kms. Those old enough could vividly recall with nostalgia, the project signboards at Biu and Damaturu, reading: “Damaturu-Biu-Little Gombi” as the project and the FGN, its client. The defunct “Stirling Astaldi Nig Ltd” as the contractor.

The East-West connects Maiduguri via Damboa and Biu to Gombe town in Gombe state .It covers a distance of 202 kms. Biu is 117 kms to Gombe. A feeder road also branches of the Damaturu-Biu highway to Gunda, a border town near the Southern tip of Yobe state and some parts of Gombe state.

Your Excellency, these network of roads were constructed about half a century ago. Precisely, in the twilight of the 60s and early 70s. Eras that could be less demanding than now after the population and human-to-human interaction had doubled. Unfortunately, and regardless of the positive role infrastructure plays in regional and national development, successive governments left the network to go into a total state of dilapidation.

The one hour journey from Damaturu to Biu now takes more than three. The extension to Garkida-Gombi, the same thing. The Gombe to Biu, too, which should be two hours now takes more than three . The road from Biu to Maiduguri has been closed since 2016. Attempt to open it in 2018, couldn’t endure because of Boko Haram challenges and government’s half-hearted attempt to keep it accessible. A situation that emboldened the insurgents operating in the ungoverned space.

The national government’s vision that informed the Biu network of highways was to facilitate economic activities especially agriculture and livestock, plus general commerce. The South-North highway was meant to evacuate livestock and farm produce from the Mambila-Adamawa enclave to the Railway Station at Buni-Yadi and from there to the Southern parts of the Country.

There was also a cotton ginary in Biu, which, together with the ones in Gombe, fed the textiles in Kaduna and Kano. The link between Biu in Maiduguri was meant to shorten the travel time for local commuters and Eastern Nigeria-bound (through Jos) haulage of goods, especially from the Lake Chad zone. Your Excellency, all these, have but gone.

The people of Biu and most of the communities along the corridors of the now dilapidated highways have since become economically challenged over time. Widespread poverty has taken over. And the little so produced by necessity are traded with next door neighbours at ridiculous terms. The Biu area and parts of Southern Borno have been the natural food basket of Borno and other neighbouring states given its rich soil and abundant rainfall. The dearth of the physical infrastructure like roads have, however, denied the state the full benefit of the same. Especially in revenue and food self-sufficiency.

In Gunda, Your Excellency, people are forced to trade with enclaves like Ashaka and Ngalda in Gombe and Yobe states, respectively. Tons of maize and beans are taken to these markets before finding their way to Dawanau Market in Kano. Farmers in the South West part of Biu like Kwaya Kusar, Ɓayo etc depend on Gombe while those in the North East (Gwoza, Uba) go to Mubi and other markets in Adamawa.

Your Excellency, in view of this ugly socioeconomic development and also the need to relief the terrible hardships of the communities in Biu alongside with those along the affected highway corridors, you may wish to;

get the Biu Dam completed
reconstruct, (not patch) the Damaturu-Biu-Garkida highway
do all it takes to open and keep open the Maiduguri-Damboa-Biu road
construct the Biu/Miringa-Garubula-Gunda-Tattaba link road
put more effort in bringing back the remaining Chibok girls and
evacuate the willing Gwoza and other IDPs from neighbouring Cameroon and Chad to their ancestral homes. These are few among the numerous excruciating pains of the people.

Mr. Vice President, Sir, without doubt, you are in a good stead to address the humble challenges aforementioned and more. The capacity and support system are there to leverage. Your Excellency, you have a very capable and hard working governor at the home front. Borno State hosts the headquarters of the North East Development Commission (NEDC). You also have the NSA from the brotherly neighbouring Adamawa state

The Borno State team, comprising the VP, the Governor, Senate Chief Whip, the Senate Appropriations Chair, and other loyal legislators in the federal and state assembly, could not be more formidable. The team is also too privileged to fail. All that is needed is the political will and the compassion to do the right thing. A legacy mark is required.

Your Excellency, please, accept my assurances of highest regard.
A.G.Abubakar agbarewa@gmail.com

Vice President, Kashim Shettima, GCON At 58: A Birthday Wish And A Call For Attention

Buni Setting Yobe on the Path of Becoming Nigeria’s Medical Tourism Destination with Research Centre and Worthy Hospitals

By: Michael Mike

Yobe State is gradually getting something right in the medical field as it has in place a medical research centre and classic hospitals all through the effort of Governor Mai Mala Buni, Michael Olugbode reports:

Research is essential in various aspects of life, offering numerous benefits including
Knowledge advancement (Research expands our understanding of the world, uncovering new information and insights), Problem-solving (Research helps address real-world issues, developing solutions and improving lives), Innovation (Research drives innovation, leading to new products, services, and technologies), Evidence-based decision-making (Research provides a basis for informed decisions in fields like healthcare, policy, and business), Critical thinking (Research promotes critical thinking, analysis, and evaluation of information), Academic growth (Research is a fundamental aspect of academic development, advancing fields of study and disciplines), Improved practices (Research informs best practices in various industries, leading to improved performance and outcomes, Enhanced credibility (Research adds credibility to claims, theories, and initiatives), Collaboration and networking (Research fosters collaboration, building connections and partnerships) and Societal progress (Research contributes to societal progress, addressing global challenges and improving the human condition).

By conducting research, we can continue to learn, grow, and innovate, ultimately making a positive impact on individuals, communities, and the world at large. This informed the decision of Yobe State Governor, Hon. Mai Mala Buni to encourage the establishment of
Africa accounts for 15% of the global population but 25% of the worldwide disease burden. However, little scientific research is done within the continent to address health and disease problems. Taking COVID-19 pandemic as an example, with a population of about 200 million, as of December 2020, less than 0.5% of Nigeria’s population were tested for COVID-19. This is partly because only a few laboratories in Nigeria have the necessary equipment for conducting COVID-19 testing.
Research laboratories across Nigeria also have a drastic shortage of laboratory equipment. As a result, most Nigerian scientists are unable to conduct cutting-edge research in areas of bioscience. For example, as of 2020, no institution in Nigeria has a functional confocal or transmission electron microscope. This challenge is compounded by low funding for scientific research and a relatively small number of active scientists. These barriers limit biomedical research and innovations from Nigeria and Africa at large.

To arrest this low point, Dr. Mahmud Bukar Maina, born and raised in Yobe State, Nigeria, became inspired to help address these challenges after joining TReND in Africa, a charity supporting scientific capacity building across Africa. It runs cutting edge biomedical training courses, provide universities with scientific equipment, run academic volunteering and outreach schemes, and support and work with African researchers. As the founder of TReND Outreach Programme, in 2017, he organized a science festival in Yobe State University to raise public understanding of science and start discussions about the need for having a sustainable hub for biomedical science research and innovation. Due to the enthusiasm shown in Yobe, in 2019, Dr Maina started collecting laboratory equipment from institutions and groups around the world through TReND in Africa to establish a state-of-the-art bioscience laboratory in Yobe State University, and as a result of the outpouring support received from groups and institutions worldwide, a laboratory was launched in August 2021, which called the biomedical science research and training centre (BioRTC) aimed at research and training in biomedical sciences to address local and global problems; and to become a centre of excellence in research and training in areas of biomedical sciences in Nigeria and Africa, helping to solve local and global health problems through scientific research, with the mission of becoming lead world-class research in the field of biomedical science, to provide training to scientists and health professionals, thereby fostering the development of highly skilled scientists in Africa, offer state-of-the-art core infrastructure to support biomedical science research, foster research collaboration with scientists and institutions both within and outside Nigeria to tackle local and global biomedical science problems.

With very strong backing from Yobe State Governor, Hon. Mai Mala Buni, the BioRTC boasts of cutting edge equipment acquired through grants and donations facilitated by Maina. This includes among others Zeiss Laser Scanning Confocal Microscopes (LSM 780 and LSM 700) which visualizes detailed cellular structures, confocal microscopy which provides clear, detailed images of cells and tissues by eliminating out-of-focus light, study cellular dynamics: live cell imaging capabilities that help in observing dynamic processes within cells in real-time, and multicolor fluorescence imaging which enables the simultaneous visualisation of multiple fluorescent markers, aiding in complex biological studies such as cancer research, neuroscience, and developmental biology.
The rest are Zeiss Laser Scanning Confocal Microscopes 780 and 700, LI-COR Odyssey imaging system, Applied Biosystems 7300 Real-Time PCR system, Full tissue culture suite, Cellular biobank, Nikon Eclipse Microscope 50i with fluorescence, Bio-Rad Mini-Protean System and UVP BioDoc-It imaging systems, and several others. With this Yobe State is perhaps the leading state in medical research as the governor continues to set the path of rejuvenating the state’s health sector and position the Northeast state as the the numero uno in medical tourism destination.

Conducting journalists round the facility, the Deputy Vice Chancellor (Academics) of the university, Professor Mohammed Musa Lawal, who is also the coordinator of the centre, said the centre enjoys strong support from the state government. “The centre was founded by Professor Maina with support from foreign varsities including University of Sussex. This research centre focuses on malaria, kidney disease and dementia among others. It also organises workshop with resource persons from around the world and participants from within Nigerian and around Africa,” he said.
In his virtual remarks, the founder, Maina put the estimate of the equipment at the centre at over a billion naira, adding that some others were still being expected to facilitate further research work.

He said the choice of Yobe came because it is an example of places within the region with low resource and in conflict, adding it’s also a way of giving back to the community where he was born and raised.
The neuroscientist has never hidden his influence in getting the centre established in Yobe state, stating that: “As an indigene of Yobe State and given the commitment of the university’s management to promote teaching and research, I wanted to help establish a laboratory in the university which can be used for teaching and research.
“Having such a laboratory would enable us to mentor the next generation of African scientists in Nigeria and would make it easier for people like me to return home eventually to continue with research work. In a way, I am giving back to a community which has done so much for me.’’

Inheriting a legacy of note from his predecessor, Alhaji Ibrahim Geidam, Buni during his inauguration a little over five years ago said: “The Yobe State Teaching Hospital has no doubt made impressive mark as a tertiary healthcare institution, providing efficient services to the people. No wonder, the state has become a hub of medical tourism for patients in search of qualitative medical attention.

“This administration considers it necessary to upgrade the capacities of health institutions in the State by providing state-of-the-art medical facilities and equipment to provide the best services to the people. Government will continue to look into the welfare of healthcare providers to enhance healthcare delivery.

“The Medical College established in the state university, will be nurtured and supported to provide a conducive learning environment for the training of manpower for our health institutions. As the saying goes, health is wealth; this administration is determined and committed to creating a healthy population for an economically prosperous state.” He has since May 29, 2019 kept to his words and remained focused on ensuring that he endowed on the state a health sector worthy of note, five years on, the quality of the equipment and manpower available in the state’s health sector is a clear demonstration that the administration is consistently meeting the people’s health needs both in the areas of research and final service delivery. Today, Yobe houses a legion of medical equipment worth billions of naira, spread across Yobe State University Teaching Hospital and the adjoining Biomedical Science Research and Training Center (BioRTC) also in Damaturu, reputed to be the first in Nigeria.

The Yobe State University Teaching Hospital is one important place the Buni administration has invested a lot because of its importance to the health of the people of the state, the Chief Medical Director of the teaching hospital, Dr. Baba Woru Goni has this to say: hundreds of people receive kidney dialysis free of charge, this is because of the prevalence of the ailment in the state.
Goni during the tour of journalists of the facility, the 600-bed capacity maternal and child hospital in Damaturu, said with huge investment in the health sector by the Buni administration, the institution is being equipped with the state-of-the art facilities to be on top of reducing maternal and child mortality.

He noted that the hospital stands on a tripod of service delivery, training of manpower and research, insisting that “with the quality of equipment and manpower made available in our hospital by His Excellency, I make bold to say that we will be meeting the health needs of not just the Northeast states, but that of the entire north and even the country. We are working towards making this the nation’s medical tourism destination.”
While lamenting that Yobe has the highest number of kidney-related ailments in the country, he noted that: “So, the dialysis is all for free while we continue with the research to find a lasting solution to the problem. It is practically impossible for the poor to pay at least N50,000 for a session of dialysis. We thank the governor for his magnanimity,”
At the Special Care Baby Unit (SCBU), where preterm babies, those with jaundice and other infections, are kept in a facility designed by Prof Nicholas of Imperial College in London, for proper care for the first 28 days, he said five of such facilities, are available for use across the state.

In the area of manpower and welfare, Goni said 25 senior consulting lecturers were employed and a 32-room one-storey building made available by the state government for the Houseman-ship. Full locum service, a system where retirees are also brought on board to fill some vacuum for a brief period, is also put to use by the teaching hospital.
Some other areas, Buni has impacted the healthcare delivery to the next level in Yobe state, include upgraded four General Hospitals to Specialists Hospitals, and eight Primary Health Centres to General Hospitals, with all the necessary equipment and facilities befitting of Specialist, and General Hospitals thereby boosting the secondary healthcare delivery and bringing healthcare services much closer to the people of the state.

Some things are definitely happening in Yobe State worthy of the attention of other Nigerians, and one of those things is in the area of improvement of the healthcare and it is not only worth the visiting of other Nigerians but definitely to benefit from.

Buni Setting Yobe on the Path of Becoming Nigeria’s Medical Tourism Destination with Research Centre and Worthy Hospitals

Why Zulum wants permanent military bases in troubled spots in the state

Bodunrin Kayode

Governor of Borno State, Professor Babagana Zulum recently called for the establishment of permanent military bases in Sambisa and other known troubled spots in the state. The call was obviously one aimed at ending the insurgent war which has eaten over 15 years of the GDP of the once commercially vibrant state which should have grown more than it is now. Borno should have been competing with Kano if not for the destruction of the state by Boko Haram.

For keen observers of the insurgent war in the north east of Nigeria, “known” means that the insurgents are still milling around specific areas of the topography of the state and residents see them and avoid their locations. They have obviously been cleared from a large chunk of Borno State but still loiter around the Tumbus islands for instance. The islands are so many that nobody has record of the exact number of them since God put them there with loads of fish and crude oil underneath. The Nigerian Navy has equally not been able to make much impact progress either because of the massive thickness of hyacinth on the top of the water or lack of the right equipments which itself is a major challenge. Some security observers who spoke to this reporter on anonymity feel the navy is just being lackadaisical because it’s a lake and what if it dries up one day? But these are not tenable excuses for them not to be able to dominate their environment from Baga to the last island on the Nigerian border.
And that is why a permanent base of the Nigerian Navy must be built that will dominate the environment long after the war has ended. There presence in Baga is still very skeletal compared to the work load ahead. One agrees with Governor Zulum on this because the Nigerian section of the islands must be well secured if tourists must come in long after the war is put behind us.

The insurgents really don’t have the guts anymore to barge into the capital Maiduguri neither do they disguise and visit relatives regularly like before as sources tell us they still do in Ngamdu, Jakana and Kareto. Even the relatives some of them visit before are under watch by the intelligence services making life difficult for such relatives who used to get gifts and phone calls from them. But going by the observation of the civilian jtf boys who fight along with the troops, they are still inside the density of the savanna at alageno forest. But more noticeable is their presence on the Mandara mountains which has given them cover for a long time sending discomfort to the people of Gwoza. They always go back to Sambisa even after being chased out which is why one of the biggest permanent barracks must be built inside the place for elite forces as soon as possible.

Zulum made the statement during the last Chief of Army staff conference which took place in the 7division of the Nigerian Army in Maiduguri Borno State. Even though the Army top brass did not make any open acknowledgement to the suggestion, it obviously may have rang a bell within the ranks of defense policy makers and the Commander in chief of the Armed forces, President Bola Tinubu who were present during the occasion.

The establishment of a special forces military base in the Sambisa forest for instance will assist in ending the lingering insurgency which has paralyzed development in the entire Borno State and North East Nigeria. As a matter of fact, this is exactly where special forces trained for counter insurgency should be asked to pin down now before the war ends. There are so many natural resources placed under the ground by God apart from oil which has been confirmed in adjoining areas for troops to be pinned down permanently under the 7 division of the Nigerian Army, the Airforce and Navy components. Imagine the Airforce with one of the biggest bases in the country on the Mandara mountains which can enable them to see anyone entering the country on espionage mission. By the time the right resources are put together to mount sophisticated platforms, a complete surveillance of the border territorial areas can be guaranteed.
Nigeria’s hundreds of porous borders will begin to get special attention to ward off the next set of aggressors.

Looking back with hindsight, even though the military has been able to retrieve a large chunk of the nation’s territory from the hands of the insurgents in Borno Adamawa and Yobe (BAY) states, it is obvious that it is not yet uhuru for the ordinary resident because the insurgents keep tormenting them by instilling fear and making life difficult for them in the hinterlands. That is why it is difficult to predict when the war will end even after 15 years of this lingering asymmetric war. A war that has caused so much pains for Nigerians and our troops. Hundreds of our troops have paid the supreme sacrifice in the last 15 years and the counting continues. And that is why it makes sense for the three arms of the military to take over these sensitive territories and pin down permanently. That to me is what Zulum meant by the creation of bases in the comfort zones of the enemy and pitching our elite troops against them once and for all. After they must have been cleared the expansion of the base with all the sophistication of a modern army will begin to fall in place.

Also the relaxation of troops seen by observers is like getting 60 percent marks in an examination and just when you want to relax with your pass, you are told that the external examiner is saying that you are not worth more than 40%. A lot of gains were made by the present Defense Chief General Chris Musa while he was theatre Commander. Many more were added when he became the Chief of the Nigerian infantry under the management of Lt. General Farouk Yahaya. Major General Ibrahim Ali who took over the theatre after General Musa also did his best in the kinetic and non kinetic aspects but they all suffered from the same malaise of not having enough boots on the field because there were no strong bases around these strategic locations to assist. Bringing troops from all the way maiduguri is usually a long process when one considers the dangerous roads constantly endangered by improvised explosive devices (IED’s).
Equipment matters in war but when you don’t have enough boots on the ground in some areas, it is a disadvantage in non conventional wars like this. As a matter of fact if there were bases on those three designated areas of lake Chad, Mandara mountains and Sambisa forest, this war would have long been concluded at this axis and the bandits would not have been emboldened at the north west axis of the country by boko haram or Islamic state of west Africa (iswap) within the Bay states. The iswap have more refined rules of engagement but any armed person in uniform is a common enemy.
The north east end of the country is a vital portion which is why the Commander in Chief President Tinubu must listen to this timely call of the Chief security officer of Borno State who is Governor Zulum to establish these bases to end this war once and for all.

Indeed, a large chunk of the boko haram insurgents and their Commanders have been decimated including the notorious Shekau but the inability of the security agents to finish the job has given the insurgents enough operational space to re-strategize and return to vacuums left unfilled by the security forces. Creation of these bases would be done as soon as defense headquarters makes up its mind to do so. As for progress made in the war, one expected the last theatre Commander to have improved on what his last two predecessors did but unfortunately he was very weak in the kinetic and paid more attention to the non kinetic aspect of his job.

Why Zulum wants permanent military bases in troubled spots in the state