Zulum Appoints Grema Terab as Executive Secretary Borno Education Trust Fund

By: Our Reporter

Borno State Governor, Professor Babagana Umara Zulum, has approved the appointment of Hon. Grema Terab as the Executive Secretary of Borno State Education Trust Fund (BO-ETF).

The appointment follows the elevation of the immediate past Executive Secretary of the Fund, Hon. Maina Mustapha Yaumi, to the position of Commissioner in the Borno State Executive Council.

In a statement, the Special Adviser to the Governor on Media, Dauda Iliya, said the appointment was made in accordance with the powers conferred on the Governor by Section 10(1) of Borno State Education Trust Fund Law, 2019.

Hon. Grema Terab is an accomplished administrator, humanitarian, and entrepreneur with vast experience in public service. He has held several political and administrative positions in Borno State, including Executive Chairman of Borno State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA).

During his tenure at SEMA, Hon. Terab played an important role in coordinating humanitarian interventions at the peak of the insurgency. He oversaw the establishment of internally displaced persons (IDP) camps in Maiduguri and Jere and led initiatives that provided support and relief to over 100,000 displaced persons.

He also served as the Transition Committee Chairman of Bama Local Government from 2022 to 2024, Senior Special Assistant to the Governor from 2024 to 2026, and Senior Special Assistant on Monitoring and Evaluation between 2020 and 2022.

In addition, Hon. Terab has served on numerous committees and special intervention programmes, including the Committee on the Resuscitation of Primary Education in Borno State, the Special Intervention Programme on Slum Urban Renewal, the Committee on the Construction of the 430-Unit Herwa Peace Housing Estate, and the Committee on the Relocation, Resettlement, and Rehabilitation of the Bulabulin Garanam Displaced Community, among others.

A seasoned public servants, humanitarian and entrepreneur, Hon. Grema Terab holds a Bachelor’s degree in Public Administration from the University of Maiduguri.

Governor Zulum congratulated the appointee and charged him to demonstrate commitment, dedication and professionalism in the discharge of his responsibilities.

The Governor further urged him to uphold the principles of transparency and accountability in advancing the mandate of the Borno State Education Trust Fund.

Zulum Appoints Grema Terab as Executive Secretary Borno Education Trust Fund

JUST IN: 47 Women And Children Freed As Troops Hit ISWAP Stronghold In Borno

By: Our Reporter

Troops of Operation Hadin Kai rescued 47 captives, mostly women and children, from ISWAP terrorists in Kangarwa, Kukawa LGA, Borno State, on 20 June 2026, according to a statement by Acting Military Information Officer, Captain Mohammed Goni.

Goni said the rescue followed sustained ground and air offensives against ISWAP enclaves in the Lake Chad region, which forced the terrorists to abandon their positions and allowed the victims to escape prolonged captivity.

The rescued persons are receiving medical care at a secure location, with humanitarian agencies supporting their reintegration. The Theatre Command said it will sustain offensive operations to dismantle ISWAP networks and restore peace in the North East. Watch the video in the comment section.

JUST IN: 47 Women And Children Freed As Troops Hit ISWAP Stronghold In Borno

Gombe, UNICEF move to end child poverty

The Gombe State government through its Ministry of Budget and Economic Planning in collaboration with the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has begun a three-day training for council officials in the state.

The training is geared towards combating the multidimensional poverty amongst children in the 11 Local Government Areas of the state.

Speaking during the workshop in Gombe on Tuesday, Dr Nuzhat Rafique, the Chief of Field Office at UNICEF’s Bauchi Field Office expressed concern over the high level of child poverty in the state.

Rafique said that the 2024/2025 Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey (MICS) conducted in the state showed that seven out of 10 children in Gombe State experience multidimensional poverty.

She stated that in view of the challenge, many children in the state were being deprived of basic life necessities.

The chief said that the progress of Gombe State and Nigeria at large depended on how well multidimensional poverty amongst children was tackled.

She said that tackling child poverty remained key to ensuring that children in the state were better protected to grow well and contribute to the development of the state and country.

According to her, it is in that regard, that UNICEF is supporting the state to expand social protection programmes, improve healthcare access, and tackle severe child food poverty.

She further stated that UNICEF through the training would support the planning and budgeting exercise at the LGA levels towards tackling child poverty in the state.

“According to the data collected by the household survey, there are 7 out of 10 children suffering from some forms of multidimensional poverty.

” This is a high level of multidimensional poverty that we see in Gombe and other states as well.

“We don’t want any child to suffer any form of multidimensional poverty but 70 per cent of children are involved which is why UNICEF is involved.

“Some of the LGAs with high levels of deprivation are Dukku, Balanga, Nafada.

“We want to concentrate on the most deprived LGAs but also within LGAs, the most deprived areas where children are suffering the most, reaching the poorest of the poor,” she said

On his part, Mr Jalo Ali, the Permanent Secretary, Gombe State Ministry of Finance who is also overseeing the Ministry of Budget and Economic Planning urged participants to leverage the training to enhance their capacity.

Represented by Mr Musa Babaji, Director, Administration and Finance, Ministry of Finance, Ali tasked participants to have cross-sector thinking about the theme of the workshop, stating that poverty facing children in the state was multidimensional.

“It (child poverty) involves so many things reason it is called multidimensional therefore there is need for cross sector thinking.

“Such thinking that is focused on solutions that are measurable, practicable and people oriented to achieve the purpose of this workshop,” he said

The Statistician General of Gombe State, Alhaji Ibrahim Dule who was represented by Musa Umar, the overseeing Director, Economic and Social Statistics, Gombe State Bureau of Statistics gave the outcome of the survey conducted in the state with the support of UNICEF.

Dule said that the Gombe State General Household Survey conducted for 2024/2025 showed that 65 per cent of households in the state have access to drinking water.

He further said that 51.5 per cent of household in the state have access to improved sanitation with urban centres having 64.9 per cent while rural areas 43 per cent.

According to him, 50.5 per cent of household have access to electricity with urban having 74.3 per cent and rural 35.4 per cent.

“10 LGAs have severe food security issues which is a great cause of concern and should be looked into critically,” he said.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that no fewer than 66 officials drawn from the 11 LGAs in the state are participating in the workshop.

Gombe, UNICEF move to end child poverty