Applauding Shettima’s post-war development model

There are enormous challenges for Governors in the northeastern states torn by Boko Haram senseless war. In Borno, Yobe, Adamawa including some parts of Gombe and Bauchi states, there are widespread human movement of internally displaced persons (IDPs), destroyed infrastructure and inaccessible land for subsistent agriculture.  In addition, Boko Haram war has led to the […]

There are enormous challenges for Governors in the northeastern states torn by Boko Haram senseless war. In Borno, Yobe, Adamawa including some parts of Gombe and Bauchi states, there are widespread human movement of internally displaced persons (IDPs), destroyed infrastructure and inaccessible land for subsistent agriculture.  In addition, Boko Haram war has led to the painful destruction of schools and worship centers. Thus the education and agriculture problems in the northeast have become different from that of the rest of the country. The Northeast is also facing the problem of fear instilled in parents to send their wards to schools.
The Borno state governor, Kashim Shettima has developed excellent and feasible post-war programmes and projects with a comprehensive model that is fast-tracking the healing of scars of the war, restoring basic infrastructure and local economies, including returning communities to their pre-war peaceful and productive statuses. Governor Shettima is achieving this milestone through the newly created Ministry charged with reconstruction, rehabilitation and resettlement of communities affected by Boko Haram insurgency and other pre-war development programmes.
Governor Shettima’s effort in the reconstruction, rehabilitation and resettlement of communities affected by Boko Haram insurgency is highly commendable because it is a multifaceted approach which will help with  restoration of basic infrastructure, integration of lives and livelihood of thousands of people, the quick rehabilitation of agricultural land; the local economy; places of worship, health-centres, bridges, schools including the creation of productive employment for the teeming unemployed citizens.  Shettima’s effort is fast healing of the scars of war in all the affected local government areas of Borno state as well as complements the security restoration and peace building by the military.
The Borno State government 2016 budget is christened ‘Budget of Reconstruction, Rehabilitation and Resettlement’. Education, with the priority to reconstruct schools got the highest allocation of N27b while the continued reconstruction, rehabilitation and resettlement of destroyed communities got N10b. Women, especially widows, empowerment, the massive construction of new houses, IDPs resettlement, construction of trenches in vulnerable communities and the reopening of public schools are some aspects of Shettima’s pre-war development programmes that touches the lives of the ordinary people.
As the military is winning the war, the governors of the five northeast states of Borno, Yobe, Adamawa, Bauchi and Gombe should adopt Shettima’s model. Such a model will tackle the original factors that facilitated the growth of Boko Haram and helped the group in its recruitments and indoctrinations – abject poverty, illiteracy and the absence of employment opportunities in these states. Governor Shettima’s model should be adopted by the federal government in its effort to reconstruct, rehabilitate and resettle the communities ravaged by Boko Haram senseless war, it will fast track the healing of the scars of war, restore basic infrastructure and local economies, including returning these communities to their pre-war or even better conditions.

Zayyad I. Muhammad writes from Jimeta, Adamawa State, [email protected] 08036070980.