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Media aides mark Zulum’s 53rd birthday with 3rd Verdict

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Media aides mark Zulum’s 53rd birthday with 3rd Verdict

Media aides mark Zulum’s 53rd birthday with 3rd Verdict

By Michael Mike

Media aides, alongside social media associates, on Thursday unveiled a compendium, the 3rd Verdict, to celebrate the 53rd birthday of Borno State Governor, Professor Babagana Umara Zulum.

The compendium’s Editor-in-Chief, who is also the Governor’s Adviser on Public Relations and Strategy, Malam Isa Gusau, announced the unveiling via a statement.

Gusau explained that the 3rd Verdict is a compendium of published news reports and analysis, features, columns, commentaries, discourses, editorials, selected speeches and updated scorecard in the third year of Governor Zulum’s administration, from May 29, 2021 to May 29, 2022.

The 3rd Verdict came after two previous editions.

On August 25, 2021, a similar compendium, the Second Verdict, was unveiled by Zulum’s media aides and social media associates to mark his 52nd birthday. That 331-page compendium was structured in 17 thematic sections with over 300 articles related to Governor Zulum’s activities from May 29, 2020 to May 29, 2021.

In August 2020, the First Verdict was published. The maiden compendium has 300 pages with 17 thematic sections, the combination of which had 336 published articles on Zulum’s Governor’s activities from May 29, 2019 to May 29, 2020.

Speaking on the newest publication, Gusau highlighted that the 3rd Verdict “has on its cover-page, a unique illustration replicated from a photograph that was snapped at 9:21 am on Monday, the 9th of August 2021 when Governor Zulum was invigilating an impromptu aptitude test he organised for teachers of a primary school in Baga town of Kukawa Local Government Area in northern Borno State.”

He noted that the significance of the cover-page illustration was discussed in the compendium’s editorial titled ‘Our Cover Photo and the Crisis of Public School System’.

The statement further explained that “the 3rd Verdict is a 290-page publication with 20 thematic sections: The Humanitarian; Security News and Discourse; Transport; Infrastructure & Energy; Education; Healthcare; Agriculture, Water Resources & Environment; Religion, Culture & Festivities; Budget, Economic Planning & Commerce; Civil Service, Vocations & Appointments; The First Lady & Women Affairs; Governance & Zulum’s ‘Unusual’ Approach; The Deputy Governor; Witnesses to Service Delivery; Politics; Awards, Tributes & Special Occasions; Foreign, Inter-Governmental & Development Partnerships; Some Sayings of Zulum; North East Governors Forum (NEGF); Newspaper Editorials and The Scorecard.”

These 20 thematic sections, the Editor-in-Chief highlighted, “have a combined number of 196 articles published by dozens of local and foreign news organisations relating to the activities of Professor Zulum in his third year as governor.

“Besides the 196 published articles, the 3rd Verdict also contains a number of selected speeches and updated records of projects, presidential commissioning, programmes and policies as of May 29, 2022”.

These records of projects were updated from the First Verdict, released in August 2020, and the Second Verdict, released in August 2021.

On why the publications are important, Gusau said: “The First, Second and 3rd Verdicts are aimed at preserving Governor Zulum’s legacies to increase access of future leaders to information about government policies and programmes, and to research information.

“Such documentation is important because as years pass by, retrieving information about the activities of leaders tends to get more difficult, especially in this internet age when digital foci are more on newest information than older ones.

“It is our hope that with the First, Second and 3rd Verdicts, accessing sufficient records of Professor Zulum’s activities, whether immediately or in future times, should be as easy as having hard and soft copies of our series.”

“We wish our readers the most informed benefits from these publications as we present to you the 3rd Verdict to celebrate Governor Zulum’s 53rd birthday.

“Happy birthday to His Excellency, the outstanding governor of Borno State,” the statement concluded.

Media aides mark Zulum’s 53rd birthday with 3rd Verdict

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RHI Presents Food Items to Vulnerable Groups in Yobe State

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RHI Presents Food Items to Vulnerable Groups in Yobe State


…Making it the 20th State to Benefit from the Support

By: Our Reporter

The Renewed Hope Initiative (RHI) Food Outreach Program, launched in Abuja in March 2024 to provide monthly support to vulnerable groups and persons with disabilities, has reached Yobe State—making it the 20th state to benefit from the initiative.
Since its inception, the program has covered Abia, Adamawa, Benue, Borno, Cross River, Delta, Edo, Ekiti, Enugu, Gombe, Kaduna, Kano, Kogi, Kwara, Lagos, Nasarawa, Oyo, Plateau, and Sokoto States before arriving in Yobe.
With generous support from the Abdul Samad Rabiu Africa Initiative (ASR Africa) and another industrialist who prefers to remain anonymous, assorted food items were delivered, bringing relief to many households, particularly those with disabilities.


The First Lady and Chairman of the Renewed Hope Initiative, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, noted that donors provide two truckloads of food items to each beneficiary state for onward distribution. Represented by the Wife of the Vice President, Hajiya Nana Shettima, she highlighted Yobe as a major beneficiary of RHI programs and interventions.
These include:

  • The Tony Elumelu Foundation Women Economists Empowerment Program, which supported 500 women with ₦50,000 each.
  • The RHI Women Agricultural Support Scheme, where 20 women received ₦500,000 each.
  • A ₦68.9 million grant from the Federal Ministry of Agriculture to the Young Farmers Club.
  • Annual financial support to senior citizens, with 100 beneficiaries receiving ₦100,000 each in 2023 and 250 beneficiaries receiving ₦200,000 each.
  • A ₦50 million financial grant to 1,000 petty traders.
  • The Women in ICT Program, aimed at empowering women in the digital economy.
    According to Senator Tinubu, these interventions are designed to complement the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
    Yobe State Governor, Mai Mala Buni represented by his Deputy Governor, Alhaji Idi Barde Gubana reaffirmed his government’s commitment to the initiative, noting that the state has aligned with RHI through various empowerment programs for women, children, and vulnerable groups. These include the distribution of household items, skill acquisition schemes, and post-insurgency recovery programs that have economically empowered many women.

  • The State Coordinator of RHI and Wife of the Yobe State Governor, Hajiya Hafsat Kollere Buni, expressed gratitude to the First Lady for extending such impactful support to Yobe State. She also looked forward to stronger collaborations to further project the ideals of RHI and improve the lives of the people.
    Also present at the event was Dr. Ubong Udoh, Managing Director of the Abdul Samad Rabiu Africa Initiative, one of the key donors to the program.
  • RHI Presents Food Items to Vulnerable Groups in Yobe State
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Monguno says lack of national cohesion fuels insurgency

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Monguno says lack of national cohesion fuels insurgency

By: Zagazola Makama

Former National Security Adviser, Maj.-Gen. Babagana Monguno (rtd.), has warned that Nigeria’s fight against insurgency will remain elusive without national cohesion and a united front across society.

Monguno stated this in Abuja on Thursday at the launch of Scars: Nigeria’s Journey and the Boko Haram Conundrum, a new book authored by former Chief of Defence Staff, Gen. Lucky Irabor (rtd.).

He said Boko Haram and other violent groups had thrived by exploiting Nigeria’s divisions, stressing that disunity among citizens, political actors, and institutions weakened the country’s capacity to defeat terrorism.

“Without national cohesion, insurgency will not end. Terrorists feed on our fault lines – ethnic, religious, political – and they weaponise them against us. If we remain divided, no amount of military might will deliver lasting peace,” Monguno said.

He urged Nigerians to rise above parochial sentiments and embrace a spirit of patriotism, solidarity, and common purpose. According to him, the fight against insurgency must go beyond the battlefield to include reconciliation, justice, and inclusive governance.

The retired General emphasised that the scars left by Boko Haram were not just physical but also psychological and social, making unity a vital condition for national healing.

“The book reminds us that security is not just the work of soldiers. It is the responsibility of leaders, institutions, and citizens. Unless we build cohesion, insurgency will continue to mutate in different forms,” he added.

Monguno commended Gen. Irabor for documenting his experience, describing the work as a guide that combines history, strategy, and national lessons for the future.

The event was attended by former Presidents Olusegun Obasanjo and Goodluck Jonathan, the Minister of Defence, service chiefs, traditional rulers, diplomats, and senior government officials.

Monguno says lack of national cohesion fuels insurgency

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Kukah says military operations alone cannot end insurgency, stresses soft power approach

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Kukah says military operations alone cannot end insurgency, stresses soft power approach

By: Zagazola Makama

The Catholic Bishop of Sokoto Diocese, Most Rev. Matthew Hassan Kukah, has said Nigeria cannot defeat insurgency through military operations alone, stressing the need to embrace soft power and address root causes of insecurity.

Kukah made this known in Abuja on Thursday while reviewing Scars: Nigeria’s Journey and the Boko Haram Conundrum, a new book authored by former Chief of Defence Staff, Gen. Lucky Irabor (rtd.).

He said the country’s reliance on military doctrines and repeated counter-insurgency operations had failed to produce lasting peace because Boko Haram represented an ideology, not just an armed threat.

“For years, we have had Operation Lafiya Dole, Operation Restore Order, Operation Hadin Kai, Operation Safe Haven, and many others. Yet, when one operation fails, another is launched. These operations have not ended the insurgency because you cannot fight an idea with weapons alone,” Kukah said.

The cleric argued that describing the insurgency only in military terms forecloses other sources of information and non-kinetic solutions that are critical to peacebuilding.

According to him, Boko Haram’s struggle is framed as a jihad, and many of its fighters see death as martyrdom, making them indifferent to conventional deterrence.

“The challenge before us is not merely about defeating insurgents on the battlefield, but about understanding the soft issues of life and death. Guns cannot build peace; soft power must complement military power,” he said.

Kukah pointed to chapters 11, 12 and 13 of Irabor’s book, which emphasise reconciliation, good governance, justice, and national healing as critical conditions for security.

He praised the author’s reflections for going beyond military strategy, describing them as “the writings of a priest” that call for dialogue, reforms and moral renewal.

The bishop added that Nigeria must prioritise structural reforms, political inclusion, patriotism, and judicial integrity to tackle grievances that feed extremism.

“The urgency now is to invest in soft power – in human development, reconciliation, and building trust in institutions. Military operations can only create space; it is ideas and justice that will sustain peace,” Kukah said.

The event attracted former Presidents Olusegun Obasanjo and Goodluck Jonathan, senior government officials, service chiefs, diplomats, and other dignitaries.
End

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