Published By Olukayode Idowu
Borno State Governor, Professor Babagana Zulum has expressed gratitude to many of his promoters on social media platforms but however pleaded with them to stop comparing his performance with those of his colleagues in other states.
He said it is unfair to do this since every state has it’s peculiarities.
Zulum’s appeal was delivered on Monday in a statement issued by his Special Adviser on Public Relations and Strategy, Malam Isa Gusau.
The statement quoted Zulum to have said: “While I am enormously grateful for all the support and promotions, I have in recent days, received messages forwarded to me, in which our work-in-progress in Borno State is being compared with some States, and in some cases, with insults. The fact is that, I feel extremely uncomfortable any time I am being negatively compared with any Governor, especially if anyone of those making the comparisons fall in any of the social media groups associated with us.
“I consider such comparisons unhealthy. Moreover, we are not in competition. The truth is that all of the 36 States have their peculiarities and priorities, depending on developmental plans and the needs of societies. In Borno’s case, we have to be desperate in our recovery efforts because we have been faced with 12 years of war, resulting to thousands of deaths and displacement of about two million people with humanitarian needs.
“From the World Bank’s Recovery and Peace-Building Assessment report on the northeast, Borno lost 956,453 private houses, representing 30 % of the total number of houses in across the state, to insurgent destructions. Also, 665 municipal buildings comprising ministries, LGA buildings, prisons, police stations and electric offices were destroyed in Borno. 5,335 classrooms and other school buildings were destroyed in 512 primary schools, 38 secondary schools and two tertiary institutions in the State.
“201 health centres, mostly primary healthcare clinics, dispensaries and some General Hospitals were all destroyed. The insurgents also destroyed 726 power substations and distribution lines just like they destroyed 1,630 water sources including motorized boreholes, hand pumps, solar powered boreholes and facilities for piped water schemes, and more.”
He added that: “So, our developmental aggression in Borno is not driven by competition, but our realities of unquantifiable challenges. All States have different needs hence leaders respond differently and with different strategies. We in Borno needed to act fast given our peculiarity of needs but this should not be a basis for negative comparison.”
Gusau said that his principal “appeals to anyone who genuinely supports him not to insult any leader on the basis of whatever is being achieved in Borno State.”