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
Suspect arrested for trespassing, attempting robbery at Bauchi Emir’s palace
By: Zagazola Makama
A 20-year-old man, Umar Hamza, was apprehended Wednesday night for trespassing and attempting to steal from the Emir of Bauchi’s residence.
Sources said Hamza entered one of the Emir’s son’s rooms carrying a bunch of keys and tried to commit theft around 8:20 p.m. on January 23.
He was intercepted shortly after the act and taken into the Police custody for questioning.
Police said Preliminary inquiries indicate the suspect intended to steal from the palace.
Suspect arrested for trespassing, attempting robbery at Bauchi Emir’s palace
VP Shettima Returns To Abuja, Says Nigeria Firmly Back On Global Economic Frontline
By: Our Reporter
Vice President Kashim Shettima has returned to Abuja after a week-long diplomatic and economic mission to Guinea-Conakry and Switzerland.
This is just as he said Nigeria has reclaimed a frontline seat in global and regional policy conversations.
VP Shettima arrived at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport on Saturday after representing President Bola Ahmed Tinubu at the inauguration of Guinea’s President, Mamadi Doumbouya, and leading Nigeria’s delegation to the 56th World Economic Forum (WEF) Annual Meeting in Davos.
According to the Vice President, the trip is part of Nigeria’s renewed commitment to regional solidarity in West Africa and its determination to reposition the economy under President Tinubu’s Renewed Hope agenda.
The Vice President had departed Abuja for Conakry, where he attended President Doumbouya’s inauguration, reaffirming Nigeria’s leadership role within ECOWAS, while opening new pathways for bilateral cooperation in agriculture and manufacturing.
From Guinea-Conakry, Senator Shettima proceeded to Davos, Switzerland, where he led the Nigerian delegation at the WEF 2026.
One of the highpoints of his engagements in that country was the commissioning of Nigeria House Davos, the Nigeria’s first-ever sovereign pavilion on the Davos Promenade, designed as a permanent investment hub showcasing opportunities in solid minerals, agriculture and the digital economy.
At a high-level WEF session titled, “When Food Becomes Security,” the Vice President outlined Nigeria’s new national food security framework, describing agriculture as a strategic pillar of national security and macroeconomic stability.
Vice President Shettima also joined former President Olusegun Obasanjo, former Vice President Yemi Osinbajo and Minister of Finance, Mr. Wale Edun, to advance the Accra Reset Initiative, a forum advocating African industrialisation driven by domestic capital and value chains rather than foreign aid.
On the economic front, the Vice President told investors that Nigeria’s macroeconomic indicators were stabilising, citing a projected 4.4 per cent GDP growth in 2026 and a decline in inflation to 12.94 per cent.
He also pointed to Nigeria’s imminent transition into a net exporter of refined petroleum products, anchored by the Dangote Refinery, and the growing export of digital talent.
VP Shettima Returns To Abuja, Says Nigeria Firmly Back On Global Economic Frontline
News
Ogwashi-Uku Palace Attack Trial: Gunshot Victim Identifies Mike Nwaukoni As Ringleader As Multiple Witnesses Place Defendants At Scene With Weapons
Ogwashi-Uku Palace Attack Trial: Gunshot Victim Identifies Mike Nwaukoni As Ringleader As Multiple Witnesses Place Defendants At Scene With Weapons
Ogwashi-Uku Palace Attack Trial: Gunshot Victim Identifies Nwaukoni As Ringleader As Multiple Witnesses Place Defendants At Scene With Weapons
Fresh revelations emerged at the Federal High Court, Asaba, as the trial over the October 12, 2023 terrorist-style attack on the Palace of the Obi of Ogwashi-Uku resumed, with witnesses giving direct, consistent, and corroborated testimony identifying Mr Mike Nwaukoni as the principal actor who led an armed mob to the palace, resulting in gunfire, injuries, and destruction of property.
On Tuesday, January 13, the court heard the gripping testimony of PW2, Mr Lawrence Obasi, an Otulu vigilante who sustained gunshot injuries that left his right arm paralysed for months.
PW2 told the court that he was officially deployed alongside the police to protect the palace on the day of the attack, having undergone formal vigilante training by the police two years earlier. According to him, Mike Nwaukoni personally led a large mob armed with dangerous weapons to the palace gate at Ogbe-Nti.
He testified that despite clear warnings and instructions from the Divisional Police Officer and the police commander at the scene, the mob—acting on Nwaukoni’s direct encouragement—attempted to forcibly break into the palace.
“He told them to break the gate and said he had money to take care of anything that happened,” the witness told the court.
Moments later, gunshots rang out.
PW2 narrated how armed supporters opened fire, damaging police and vigilante vehicles and hitting him with live ammunition as he sought cover inside one of the vehicles. He positively identified Elue Adigwe and Francis Okolie as being present at the scene and fully armed.
His account directly corroborated the earlier testimony of PW1, the police commander who had testified last year that Mike Nwaukoni personally led the armed crowd, stressing that no police officer accompanied the mob and that it was not a lawful procession but an armed attack.
The police commander had also told the court that Nwaukoni had invited him and the DPO to his residence days before his testimony in what observers concluded was an attempt to obstruct justice by getting him to stop his testimony scheduled for the next week.
THIRD WITNESS CONFIRMS IDENTITIES, WEAPONS, AND HISTORY OF VIOLENCE
On Wednesday, PW3, Mr Emeka Nwaolisa, a palace vigilante, took the stand and reinforced the prosecution’s case, confirming the identity of the same defendants, their presence at the palace gate, and the use of offensive weapons during the attack.
PW3 testified that he was stationed at the locked palace gate when over 200 persons marched toward the palace, among them Mike Nwaukoni, Elue Adigwe, Francis Okolie, and others. He stated that on Nwaukoni’s orders, gunfire erupted as the mob attempted to force entry, leading to chaos and injuries.
During cross-examination, PW3 also revealed that Eugene Ojo Izediunor had previously boasted at a public drinking spot that he used money to “settle” his way out of an earlier case, a conversation witnessed by multiple persons.
He further told the court that the defendants had a long-standing history of orchestrated violence and unrest aimed at destabilising the community and undermining the traditional institution.
SPIN FAILS TO DENT CORE FACTS
While defence counsels consisting of four senior advocates attempted to divert attention to procedural arguments and minor inconsistencies, the central facts remained unshaken:
• Multiple eyewitnesses independently identified the same defendants
• Weapons were present and used
• Gunshots were fired
• A vigilante suffered gunshot injuries
• Vehicles were damaged
• The palace came under armed siege
The court admitted two statements made by PW3 as exhibits and adjourned the matter to April 21 and 22, 2026, with the trial set to continue.
The five defendants—Mike Nwaukoni, Elue Adigwe, Francis Okolie, Eugene Ojo Izediunor, and John Nwona—were all present in court.
As proceedings continue, the testimony so far paints a clear, consistent, and deeply troubling picture of a coordinated armed assault on a traditional institution, now firmly laid before the court under oath.
Suspect arrested for trespassing, attempting robbery at Bauchi Emir’s palace
VP Shettima Returns To Abuja, Says Nigeria Firmly Back On Global Economic Frontline
Fulani man ambushed and killed by Tiv militia in Benue
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