By Michael Olugbode
The Borno State Governor, Prof. Babagana Zulum, has announced the plan to urbanise communities in five Borno local government areas.
The governor said on Saturday during a visit to Mafa on his routine distribution of humanitarian aids to the people of the state, that communities in Biu, Gubio, Kaga, Mafa and Monguno Local Government Areas have been earmarked in the first phase of the urbanisation scheme of his administration.
He said: “We have started urbanisation of villages and towns starting with five local government areas. In each, we are building houses that will provide accommodation to civil servants in flats and bungalows. The local governments are Gubio, Biu, Monguno, Kaga and Mafa in the first phase.”
The governor arrived Mafa on Friday, from Damasak where he had passed the night on Thursday and in Mafa, he spent another night.
The governor, during his official to Mafa, paid an unscheduled visit to the general hospital in the town during which he came across some dedicated health workers, amongst them an Ibo woman, Mrs Mabel Ijeoma from Anambra State, that had been working there for 15 years, who, like some others, he gave a cash gift of N200,000.
He later on Saturday supervised the distribution of food and cash to 9,400 internally displaced households in the town.
Each of the 3,500 male beneficiaries received a bag of rice, a bag of maize grid and cash, while each of the 5,900 female beneficiaries received a wrapper, two packets of sugar and cash.
Zulum then inspected some ongoing projects, which included a drip and sprinkler irrigation scheme, a vocational training centre, a shopping complex and motor park with 150 market stalls.
Addressing the residents, he urged them to take advantage of the holy month of Ramadan and pray for the return of peace to Borno and the entire nation.
He said: “I kindly call upon all of you to intensify in your prayers this holy month of Ramadan, let all of us devote ourselves in prayers for peace to return to our state and the country.”
The governor also expressed gratitude to the North East Development Commission for supplementing the efforts of the state government.
