The Caretaker Chairman of Gubio Local Government Area of Borno state, Hon. Zanna Modu Gubio in his ‘Social Welfare Programme’ has introduced free feeding of pupils in all the primary schools so as to encourage number of enrolments into western education.
The Chairman also distributed free school uniforms and teaching materials to the 21 schools now fully in operation following liberation of the communities by troops.
Gubio was among the 20 council areas in the state that witnessed series of Boko Haram attacks with destruction of lives and property worth billions of naira during the hit of insurgency, before it was liberated.
Speaking to Journalists during inspection of schools and commissioning of the newly reconstructed Council Secretariat worth N85 million, the Chairman said, apart from providing befitting teaching environment for students and conducive office Secretariat to staff, new general hospital, Clinics, Mosque, classroom blocks were executed by his administration, in addition to connecting Gubio to national grid.
He said, the emergence of Boko Haram crisis was necessitated by, illiteracy, extreme poverty and the inability of the past governments to provide social amenities for its people, especially those at the grassroots level, and however said, with the support Gubio receives from Governor Kashim Shettima’s effort in reconstructing, rebuilding and resettling of destroyed communities, he is determined to ensure that his Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) who have since returned home and settled continue their normal lives.
“I want to thank President Muhammadu Buhari, our Governor Kashim Shettima and the Nigerian Army under the Chief of Army Staff, Lieut Gen. Tukur Buratai for degrading insurgents and liberation of our communities.
“This development had made it possible to provide dividends of democracy to our traumatized people. We have started feeding our pupils with food in schools; we are giving them rice, beans and other condiments five days in a week. As government, we will continue to judiciously utilize our scarce resources for the betterment of our people.
“Since the restoration of peace in Gubio by the Brigade Commander, Brigadier General Y.P. Auta, we have embarked on massive reconstruction and rehabilitation of our destroyed communities through the concerted effort of Governor Kashim Shettima. We have drilled more boreholes in addition to the existing ones across the 10 wards of this council.
“We have also provided furniture, chairs, free uniforms to our students in our renovated schools, and we are going to reward best performing student (s) by sponsoring their education up to the tertiary level even abroad”. The Chairman stated.
Responding, the Executive Chairman of State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB), Dr. Shettima Kullima and the District Head, Abba Rufai commended Hon. Modu Gubio for his foresight in revamping the education sector and other people oriented projects being executed within a shortage time, and therefore called on other 26 Local Government Chairmen in the state to emulate the gesture by putting smiles on the face of students, parents and the IDPs who have since returned to their ancestral homes start their normal lives.
