A Case for Governor Zulum
It is no longer news that Borno State is witnessing a resurgence of terrorism. If a voice should not be ignored on the subject of terrorism in the Northeast, it should be that of governor Zulum. Even as the security atmosphere of the state gets hot, characteristics of him, governor Zulum has deliberately refused to be an armchair or AC governor. As the chief security officer of the state and one that is very passionate about the security of life and the welfare of his people, governor Zulum has embraced the risk of leading from the frontline. He is one who puts his money where his mouth is. Needless to say the governor has been a victim of direct assassination attempts by the terrorists and by Allah’s grace and magic stroke of luck survived them. Governor Zulum is an endless textbook reference of intentional, courageous and people-first leader.
When governor Zulum raised his voice complaining about the security lapses in the state and how Boko Haram and ISWAP have taken advantage of of these loopholes to regroup, the mistaken idea held by some APC faithfuls (at the national level) was that he was reading the opposition script and by so doing, tacitly and implicitly undermining the administration of President Tinubu; but far from it, it was a patriotic and helpless cry for a need for proactive steps to be taken. Zulum is neither a political talkative or one governor that sits at the comfort of his office to generate thoughts that are detrimental to the security architecture of the state. He is one that has continuously puts his life on the line by visiting areas with pockets of security issues and get on the spot reports from the victims themselves and the security operatives there. It is not a thing of joy that the governor seems to be the lone voice from the state screaming to the moon and back about the deteriorating state of security in the state. Even worse, it is more painful that his passionate plea to Abuja for reinforcement of troops and equipments is been given political coloration.
As someone who was once the commissioner of Reconstruction, Rehabilitation and Resettlement and now governor, Zulum has a rich insight and a comprehensive understanding of the complexities of the security challenges that confronts the state. It is even more disheartening to note that the recent resurgence of Boko Haram and ISWAP has come to serve as a needless distraction from the monumental developmental strides the state is experiencing under the able leadership of governor Zulum. The security gains that was made before the military shifted it attention to combating banditary in the Northwest of the country served as a springboard for the governor to intensify his administration push to see through the reconstruction of the state – especially war devastated areas. That not withstanding, the governor understand that the development of the state is a non-negotiable imperative if the state is to win the war against terrorism. This has inspired the massive rehabilitation and construction of rural and urban roads across the state linking communities that were hitherto cut off from each other. The second Borno express flyover bridge is another infrastructural milestone that has cemented governor Zulum in the sands of time of the state. In the area of education and being that the governor is one who is a living testament of the inevitability of education, governor Zulum has prioritised the educational sector in line with his recognition of education as the foundation of the growth of the state since his assumption of office. The state government has constructed mega schools in each local government area and renovated dilapidated classrooms across the state and has recruited additional 5000 teachers to arrest the man power deficits. The state government has also embarked on the construction of thousands of housing units in six local government areas of the state. In short, the state is a construction site and experiencing all facet of development and this was why when governor Zulum cried out to ears that cared to listen, it was a cry for proactive measures to be taken to prevent the drawback of relative peace and growth and development the state is currently experiencing.
It’s a moral obligation for we all as indigens of the state especially the political stakeholders across board, regardless of political affiliation, to rally behind the governor – in his quest to ensure that the relative peace and stability Borno state has enjoyed be sustained. There is no development in the absence of peace. It is a human tradition that in times of conflict that threatens the very existence of a people, the people rally behind their leader. It is on this note I write to let the governor know you are not alone. We are in this together.
Hon Aliu Haidar Zaifada is an APC chieftain and writes from Abuja.
