News
The Trained Doctors Are Back In Borno, All Thanks To VP Shettima

The Trained Doctors Are Back In Borno, All Thanks To VP Shettima
By Stanley Nkwocha
Gratitude, they say, does not play around. It goes straight for the heart. It is what happens when we stop long enough to notice all the good stuff. So, it was not surprising that a group of medical doctors were among well-meaning Nigerians who availed themselves of the opportunity created by the Eid-el-Fitr celebrations on Thursday to pay the Vice President, Senator Kashim Shettima, a thank-you visit at his residence in Maiduguri, the Borno State capital.
The medical doctors were among the 60 female medical students sponsored for MBBS courses in 2014 when the administration of Senator Shettima in Borno State awarded scholarships to students studying different health professional fields abroad.
In 2014, then Governor Shettima took it upon himself to sponsor female citizens of the state to study Medicine at the El-Razi Medical University, Khartoum in Sudan and other citadels of great learning. During the launch of the Female Medical Intervention Programme of his administration and presentation of scholarship letters at the Government House Maiduguri, Shettima had said the female students were drawn from the 27 local government areas of the state.
“Having 30 female medical doctors which the state desperately needs is the greatest legacy the government can give the state, in view of the fact that women have peculiar health challenges arising from maternity, menstrual and other issues that women would be in the best position to handle as a result of the African culture and religion,” Shettima had said, noting that 30 female candidates would be sent every year for training as medical doctors and that no amount of money spent on their training would be a waste.
Not satisfied, Shettima had directed the then commissioner for Higher Education, Mr Bello Ayuba, to add three more Christian female candidates and two female students from the Northern part of the state to the 30 scheduled for the training, imploring the candidates to be good ambassadors of the state and the country.
True to his words, as good ambassadors they were urged to become, the medical doctors were back on Thursday with an unquenchable desire to thank and appreciate Kashim Shettima for his capacity and the will to rally men and women to a common purpose and the character which inspires confidence.
Recounting their experience and how they were recruited, one of the 60 girls picked from across Borno State and sponsored by Shettima to study Medicine abroad, Dr. Aisha Kaumi, told journalists immediately after the Sallah homage to the Vice President that they have since graduated, with 50 of them working as medical doctors in the state.
She said, “My name is Dr. Aisha Kaumi, one of the medical doctors sponsored by Vice President Kashim Shettima while he was governor of Borno State. So, we came here today to pay a visit to thank him for all he has done for us and to congratulate him on his well-deserved position as the Vice President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. Alhamdulillah, we met him and everything went well, and he (the VP) assured us that in case we want to specialize he was 100 percent ready to assist us.
“We were 60 then, 30 of us from El-Razi Medical University, Khartoum in Sudan, and the other 30 who graduated from the National University of Sudan. Alhamdulillah, all of us graduated and currently, about 50 of us are working with the state government here in Borno State. The remaining ten are yet to pass their medical exams but, Insha Allah, we are hoping that they will catch up with us.”
On the motivation behind studying Medicine and the impact on them and the state, Dr. Kaumi said, “It was indeed a dream come true because I never ever thought I will become a medical doctor. So, Alhamdulillah, I’m very grateful to the Vice President. Without him, I don’t think I would have become a medical doctor today. It was not easy; it was a kind of roller coaster of hardship and the courage to study well so that we can come here and help our people in Borno State. So, we are very grateful to him. His Excellency, the governor of Borno State is really doing well in trying to equip the hospitals. We are really grateful.”
Retrospectively, the health and education sectors received adequate attention in Borno State under Senator Shettima as governor. Apart from human capital development which led to foreign scholarships for the ever-grateful medical doctors to study abroad, the then Governor Shettima utilized available resources at his disposal to rehabilitate hospitals destroyed by the Boko Haram insurgents and for the procurement of equipment for some reconstructed health facilities.
As Vice President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, an opportunity given to him by his boss, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, VP Shetima is poised to replicate the same leadership of lifting the vision of Nigerians complementing Mr President’s effort at raising performance to a higher levels as well as improving standard of living beyond normal limitations.
The signs are becoming very clear in just less than a year of the Tinubu-led Renewed Hope administration. As the administration advances in the course of changing the narrative for Nigerians, it will become glaring to all why President Tinubu settled for a Vice President who is trustworthy, visionary, loyal and capable.
Nkwocha, spokesman of Vice President Kashim Shettima wrote in from Maiduguri, the Borno State capital.
The Trained Doctors Are Back In Borno, All Thanks To VP Shettima
News
Borno State Councillors endorse Tinubu/Kashim for a second term

Borno State Councillors endorse Tinubu/Kashim for a second term
By: Bodunrin Kayode
The forum of Councillors in Borno State have endorsed the enthronement of President Bola Tinubu for a second term
The Councillors all from the All Progressive Congress (APC) gave the endorsement during a news conference in Maiduguri on Friday led by their Chairman of the Forum Kellum Geshehu.
While endorsing the Tinubu-Shettima Ticket for 2027, they said that they were pleased with the developmental projects of President Bola Tinubu and their son Senator Kashim Shetima who they say equally deserves a second term for pleasing the masses with basic dividends.
They maintained that as grassroot politicians who understood the pains of the masses especially when the subsidies were removed, it was clear that the economic policies applied by the party at the National level has given rise to massive production of foodstuffs and the reduction of prices of basic staples which before now were beyond the reach of a lot of people.
“We also express our profound satisfaction with the progress of the Government under the leadership of His Excellency, President Bola Tinubu. We see the Renewed Hope Initiative gradually yielding fruits for Nigerians.
“We specifically thank Mr. President for the confidence and trust in our son, His Excellency, Vice President Sen. KashimShettima, who has proven to be a dedicated, loyal, and capable partner in development.
“Therefore, the Borno State Supervisory Councillors Forum unanimously endorse the Tinubu-Shettima ticket for the 2027 Presidential election. We strongly support the President to retain Vice President Sen. KashimShettima as mate for the 2027 Presidential ticket, ensuring continuity and socio-economic gains currently being achieved in our great country.”
The councillors gave the endorsement based on the fact that the APC party under Professor Babagana Zulum has been doing well in his second term in Borno state following in the footsteps of the party at the national level.
They named sectors like Agriculture, education and the health sector as major areas of achievement of the academic turned politician Governor Babagana Zulum who has been a trailblazer in developmental projects in the state.
Borno State Councillors endorse Tinubu/Kashim for a second term
News
Boko Haram, ISWAP reconcile with Bakoura Doro faction in North-East, forge alliance

Boko Haram, ISWAP reconcile with Bakoura Doro faction in North-East, forge alliance
By: Zagazola Makama
In a major development that could reshape the security landscape in the North-East, Boko Haram and the Islamic State of the West African Province (ISWAP) have reconciled with the Bakoura Doro faction after years of bloody rivalry.
Zagazola Makama gathered that the reconciliation, according to credible intelligence marks a significant shift in the dynamics of the insurgency that has ravaged Borno and neighbouring states for over a decade.
Boko Haram, officially known as Jama’at Ahl al-Sunna li al-Da’wa wa al-Jihad (JAS), and ISWAP reportedly reached a truce with the Bakoura Doro group on Thursday, after weeks of internal negotiations aimed at consolidating their fighting strength and realigning their operational commands.
However, ISWAP leaders maintained their position of hostility toward the Abubakar Shekau faction, now under the command of Ali Ngulde, whose loyalists are entrenched in the Mandara Mountains along the Nigeria–Cameroon border.
According to field sources, ISWAP commanders used the meeting to warn their fighters against indiscriminate killings of local residents, citing the incident in Kirawa where innocent civilians were executed in error.
The group reiterated that attacks should only target government-backed militias and members of the Civilian Joint Task Force (CJTF), whom they accused of bearing arms against them.
Despite this rhetoric of restraint, both ISWAP and Boko Haram factions vowed to intensify their campaign of violence, with Boko Haram operatives under Bakoura Doro reportedly planning a renewed wave of kidnappings-for-ransom and bloodletting in vulnerable communities across Borno, Yobe, and Adamawa states.
Security analysts view this reconciliation as a troubling development that could embolden the insurgents to regroup, and coordinate large-scale attacks against both military and civilian targets.
“The reconciliation between ISWAP and Bakoura Doro’s faction effectively closes one of the key internal cracks that previously weakened the insurgency. It allows them to pool resources, fighters, and logistics, which may translate to renewed offensives, particularly in border areas and ungoverned spaces.
Meanwhile, the Nigerian military continues to sustain pressure on terrorist enclaves through coordinated land and air operations, with the goal of preventing the insurgents from re-establishing control over liberated territories.
As the insurgents’ alliance solidifies, analysts caution that Nigeria and its regional partners must strengthen intelligence sharing, border control, and community engagement to mitigate the security risks posed by this new wave of jihadist consolidation.
Boko Haram, ISWAP reconcile with Bakoura Doro faction in North-East, forge alliance
News
Troops humiliate ISWAP in Ngamdu, kill 15 terrorists in ngamdu battle

Troops humiliate ISWAP in Ngamdu, kill 15 terrorists in ngamdu battle
By: Zagazola Makama
In yet another demonstration of tactical superiority and resilience, troops of Operation Hadin Kai have repelled a coordinated attack by Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) terrorists on Ngamdu in Kaga Local Government Area of Borno State, killing 15 insurgents and uncovering their mass grave.
Zagazola Makama learnt that the attack, which occurred in the early hours of Friday, was described by military sources as “one of the most daring but costly misadventures” by ISWAP fighters, who launched simultaneous assaults on troops from three different flanks.
According to reliable sources, the terrorists began the offensive from the Gonori axis around 3 a.m., apparently to divert troops’ attention from their main objective. The diversionary assault was swiftly contained by the gallant troops, forcing the attackers to retreat with casualties.
The second wave of attack, launched along the Maiduguri–Damaturu highway, involved the use of command Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs), rocket-propelled grenades.
Despite the intensity of the assault, troops advancing from Benisheikh managed to charge through the ambush position, though one Mine-Resistant Ambush Protected (MRAP) vehicle sustained damage to its engine and tyres.
The third flank of the attack targeted Alpha Company’s defensive location near the main supply route, but despite minor infiltration into their outer perimeter, the soldiers held their ground firmly and neutralized several of the attackers in close-quarter combat.
The sources said four soldiers paid the supreme price while three were wounded in action during the encounter.
Subsequent intelligence gathered from local sources revealed that ISWAP fighters conducted a mass burial for 15 of their slain members at Bula Wura village near Wasaram, less than 24 hours after the failed operation.
“The attack was well-coordinated but the response was even more professional. The terrorists came in waves, using multiple tactics, but our men held their ground and made them pay heavily,” said one military sources.
The military has also intensified clearance operations along the Maiduguri–Damaturu highway after terrorists planted IEDs to delay reinforcements. The road was temporarily closed for demining operations to ensure the safety of commuters.
As the military continues to dominate the theatre of operations, local communities are beginning to express renewed confidence in the ongoing counter-terrorism efforts, which have seen a steady decline in insurgent activities across major highways and rural settlements in recent months.
Troops humiliate ISWAP in Ngamdu, kill 15 terrorists in ngamdu battle
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