Boko Haram: Shettima Charges Borno Residents On Unity
BEVERLY HILLS, September 30, (THEWILL) - Governor Kashim Shettima of Borno State has urged residents of the state to be united in the face of the common enemy - Boko Haram, saying this is no time for disunity.
Warning that the state was almost on the brink , the governor said all religious and political differences must be set aside in order to restore peace to the troubled state.
Shettima gave the charge Monday in Maiduguri, the state capital, while swearing in the newly-appointed Local Government chairmen .
“We are united by our poverty and we cannot afford to fight each other,” the governor said as he urged politicians to unite to fight the common problems of all, adding “we should be united despite our difference politically, socially and in religion.”
The governor said as the security challenges are gradually being tackled by the military, adequate preparations should be made to overcome the challenges of the future on how to transform the state.
'Politicking is around the corner. Remember there is no greater politics than taking care of the masses. There is no greater politicking than working for the people. We urge you to really dedicate ourselves to the course of attending to the needs of our people,' Shettima told the new appointees.
According to the governor, 'Even to provide food and other basic needs of people are enough challenges to all of us here in this Chamber taking this oaths of office and allegiance to your respective offices at the grassroots.'
Expressing the hope that the five-year-old insurgency would soon be a thing of the past, Shettima said, 'We believe that very soon, we shall have an enduring peace in this state, the Northeast sub-region and the nation as a whole. But we have to make adequate preparations to overcome these challenges of the future on how to transform our society into a better place.'
He however lamented that besides the challenges of meeting the people's basic needs of life, the displacement of over 58, 000 people from nine council areas, has compounded the problem of infrastructure in Maiduguri, the state capital , making it 'overwhelming and worrisome' to his administration.
'We have so many refugees here in Maiduguri, who fled from Dikwa, Marte, Damboa, Bama, Gwoza, Kaga, Ngala and other Local Government Areas in the state that were attacked in 2013 and this year by Boko Haram,” he said, noting that seven council areas of the state have been seriously affected by insurgency, insisting that the case of Gwoza is pathetic.
According to Shettima, 'Bama is equally very worrisome, so also are the plights of our people from Marte, who are taking refuge at Chad Basin Primary School on Dikwa road, Maiduguri. But we believe that tough times never last, but only tough people do. As we move forward in overcoming these challenges as a people, and nation, Borno shall rise again.'