REAL LEADERSHIP, INSPIRING AND
COURAGEOUS SPEECH: Read the
address of Gov Bukar Shettima to
the abandoned and terrorized
people of Borno State yesterday.....
TEXT OF A STATE-WIDE BROADCAST
DELIVERED BY HIS EXCELLENCY, THE
EXECUTIVE GOVERNOR OF BORNO
STATE, HON. KASHIM SHETTIMA;
FRIDAY, SPETEMBER 5, 2014
Fellow, and dear citizens of Borno
State
In recent days and weeks, we have
come under renewed and
augmented attacks, waged against
all of us, by an armed minority that
seeks to impose on us, a doctrine
that is completely at variance with
the religion of Islam which they
claim to promote; a doctrine that
negates the dignity and existence of
humanity on earth, despite Allah’s
decree in the glorious Quran, that
He has dignified the human
creature, prohibited unjust killings
and made the religion of Islam that
which does not sanction compulsion
in a multi-faith society like ours.
Several innocent communities in
Gwoza, Damboa, Askira/Uba, Marte,
Chibok, Konduga, Dikwa and the
most recent, Bama, have had young
and old, amongst them children,
weak old men and women, killed in
cold blood, their homes destroyed
and thousands forced to flee, with
some trekking over hurtful distances
to become refugees within and
outside Borno State. Our Capital
City of Maiduguri is today facing a
heavy influx of refugees from the
local government areas in Borno.
Borno citizens have been forced to
take refuge in parts of Gombe and
Adamawa States mainly on account
of man’s inhumanity to fellow man
in the gratuitous name of religion.
These acts are absolutely
condemnable in the strongest of
terms.
Let me use this opportunity to once
again, extend my deepest sympathy
to the families of all those who lost
their lives in these serial massacres
that are designed to send Borno and
its people into oblivion, but which
will not succeed insha Allah.
I also express my very deep
sympathy to all victims who either
lost property or are taking refuge.
Our heart as Government is fully
with each and every one of you and
we will do everything humanly
possible to support you, reclaim
your communities, rebuild them and
give all of you a new lease of life
insha Allah.
We will be supporting you as a
matter obligation to you as good
citizens. You have a right to be
supported in distress. You have
even more fundamental right to be
protected from fear and attack in
the first place.
The number one duty of
Government is to safeguard the
lives and property of the citizenry.
However laudable policies and
programmes of Government could
be, no matter the beauty of
infrastructures put in place, they
would all amount to less than
nothing if human lives are not
secured. As Government, we are
more than mindful of this
constitutional, moral and spiritual
obligation.
As Governor of Borno State, I am
un-forgetfully aware that for every
life that is lost in Borno State, I will
account before Allah on the Day of
Judgment if that life is lost on the
basis of deliberate failures on my
part, to do what I have the powers,
resources and influence to do.
This administration has never and
insha Allah will never abdicate from
its obligations to citizens. We have
done, and still doing everything
within the limits of our powers and
resources, to complement the duty
of the Federal Government to
safeguard lives and property.
Immaterial as it may sound, we
have through combined efforts with
the Military, the Nigeria Police
Force, the Department of State
Security; our youth volunteers
called the civilian JTF and other
para-military organizations averted
so many planned attacks. However,
this assertion will hardly make sense
to most citizens, in a situation
where many attacks have been
successfully carried out with
elevated mass killings and
destructions in the past and in very
recent days and weeks.
Citizens have very legitimate
reasons to be aggrieved by the
current situation in Borno State. We
are pained as your Government. We
are in this together. As Governor, I
feel a sense of not just responsibility
but an even personal loss whenever
any attack is recorded no matter
what part of the State is affected
and who is or are involved. We are
in this together.
Borno state has been facing this
Boko Haram challenge since July
2009 in Maiduguri when the Boko
Haram waged its major war on
Borno’s soil. Haven been defeated
by our determined armed forces,
insurgents resorted to Guerrilla
warfare that has been raging on for
the last four years. At least one
third of our local government areas
have been affected by their attacks
with different degrees of intensity
and periodic occupation.
In the history of Borno since 19th
century, this is however not the first
threat to our existence as a people.
We had faced and survived threats
in years past and we shall survive
this insha Allah.
We are confident of victory through
a reinforcement of our armed forces
and the collective will of all of us,
citizens, who are committed to
defeating the Boko Haram scourge.
Collectively as a people, we have
exhibited great determination.
Our youth volunteers have made us
proud. We are all in this, fellow
citizens. We all have roles to play.
One of these roles is the devoted
offer of prayers and ceaseless appeal
to the Almighty to make us
victorious.
In the past, our armed forces have
proven their mettle even in global
warfare where they were in foreign
terrain in the Second World War, in
the Congo, in Liberia, in Sierra Leon,
in the Sudan and elsewhere. Our
armed forces have also, during the
Civil War, successfully saved our
country from dismemberment. Our
armed forces that have
outstandingly proven their capability
in such difficult times can by the
grace Allah defeat the Boko Haram
insurgency with overwhelming
federal reinforcement in all areas of
their needs. We strongly appeal to
the federal government to redouble
its present efforts so that the nation
will be a historic witness to speedy
containment of the Boko Haram
insurgency. The Borno State
Government will continue to do
whatever it can to compliment the
constitutional roles of the Federal
Government in this battle of ours.
Let me reassure the good people of
Borno State that measures have
been taken by the Federal
Government based on information
available to us as Government. With
these steps and our combined
efforts as State Government and
resilient people, we shall overcome
this tribulation.
We must be very forth coming with
useful information on what we hear
or see because our safety start with
what we tell not what we keep or
bury. Hiding information that
threatens us never helps us or
others. We must be very vigilant in
all our communities. We must take
copious note of anyone or anything
strange around us but without
raising false alarm or spreading any
form of rumour that will cause
panic. Let us try to reach out to
those in position of authority to
verify information concerning public
safety or related matters.
The Borno State Radio and
Television will be coming up with a
Television and Radio programme
designed with public telephone lines
that can be reached by citizens for
enquiries on public issues in relation
to security, help in orientation and
mobilisation of victims, as well as
helping them in locating missing
loved ones and friends where there
are such matters and keeping
citizens regularly updated on
matters affecting security, victims
support and their comfort. I appeal
to other media houses to kindly
assist in this effort.
The Ministries concerned with Home
Affairs and Local Governments and
Chieftaincy Affairs are also to make
available public lines that can be
reached by any victim from any
affected local government area.
Similarly, the Ministry of Health will
also put in place an immediate
Mobile Task Force on Insurgency
Victims Health that should be
moving round Maiduguri and
environs to source for and attend to
the health needs of victims on both
emergency and lesser cases; ensure
the existence of clinics in all victims
camps and coordinate the efficiency
of the clinics to guarantee the
availability of health personnel at all
times, drugs, ambulances and other
required materials. The Ministry has
my express permission to commit
Government in the event of any
critical medical need involving
ascertained victim of this
unfortunate insurgency from any
affected community.
Government is not unaware of the
multi-facet effects of insurgent
attacks on other spheres of human
lives in affected communities in
terms of food security, means of
livelihood and access to education
among others.
Already, the State Government has
taken measures to acquire food
stuffs for free distribution to
affected citizens. Government has
purchased thousands of bags of food
stuffs and more is being acquired.
On the issue of means of livelihood,
the Secretary to the State
Government is to chair a High level
and Enlarged Victims Rehabilitation,
Reintegration and Support Team that
will soon meet and work with
stakeholders in affected
communities to assist victims on a
permanent measure.
On access to education, Government
has observed a high scale
requirement of admissions into
primary and secondary school
especially from guardians who seek
slots at orphanage schools in
Maiduguri and Biu in particular, for
orphans whose parents were killed
as a result of the insurgency.
Consequently, a team of respected
academics, school administrators
and educationists will be
inaugurated by me next week, with
the mandate of coming up with
State Primary and Secondary Schools
for Special Citizens to be cited in
Maiduguri and Biu for the time
being. The schools are to be
designed to accommodate high
capacity of pupils with modern
boarding facilities. Every child
admitted into that school is to be on
full Government scholarship from
basic to University Education.
Members of the public willing to
make donations will be entertained
to a ‘Adoption of child Education
Programme’ though which kind
citizens can adopt the education of a
child, two or more, through well
organised system that can be
monitored by every sponsor who
must be entitled to all academic and
attitudinal record of an adoptee.
While the team is to fine tune this
idea, the Ministry of Education is
directed to identify and enrol
affected children into temporary
public schools in Maiduguri and Biu
or in the alternative, create
temporary special school sites for
affected children to start having
immediate access to education soon
as schools open.
Fellow citizens, we shall at all times
be responsive to our duties as
Government. We are very much
committed to doing just everything
that we can do. Borno State has
been in the eye of the storm; we
have suffered deaths, destruction
and hardships on scales never
witnessed in the annals of our long
and glorious history.
We have experienced
unprecedented sorrow, tears and
blood. We must all work for peace.
To work for peace is to covet and
protect it. In seeking peace, those
of us who mean well for this State,
must not only remain united, we
must strive to consolidate this unity.
Defeating the insurgency is a
collective task that must be done,
we must not be distracted. We must
remain united, focused and vigilant.
I will particularly like to direct this
appeal to our heroes, the galant and
courageous youth volunteers, the
Civilian JTF. They must remain
united and focused more than ever
before.
The Civilian JTF must at all times
have at the back of their minds that
Allah (SWT) in his infinite wisdom
and mercy is using them to support
security agencies to rescue our state
from the advocates of hate and
destruction. The people of Borno are
very grateful to them for their
undying love and sacrifices. As
Government which is holding the
sacred mandate of the people, we
will remain supportive of the civilian
JTF as we have been. Our support
for the military, police and other
security agencies is that of a shared
battle against the forces of darkness.
We shall accelerate our focus on
jobs creation to discourage idleness
and criminality. We shall speed up
ongoing infrastructures to deliver on
our promises to make Borno a
better place, a remodeled State, a
great home we will all be proud of.
Borno is our home.
This is why I returned home amidst
rumored fears held by some
residents on possible attacks on
Maiduguri. I cut short my official trip
and returned home so we can be
together as we have always been in
trying to overcome the threat
before us. I am confident that
together we can overcome this
challenge. Our condition cannot be
permanent, no condition, ever was.
We can overcome this problem with
the right attitude from the top to
the bottom. Indeed we can.
May Allah give us the fortitude to
bear the loss of those killed in this
crisis, May He grant us peace and
guide those of us in leadership, to
work selflessly for Borno to become
a better place for all of us, and for
our children.
I thank you very profoundly for your
tremendous support and for
listening to me today as you always
did in the past.
Long live Borno State!
Long live Federal Republic of Nigeria!

Touching speech, though I didn't read it.

Mr Governor! The Lord Almighty is "our" strength!


We shall all sing the "songs of victory" together because I am convinced we shall "overcome" and "defeat" these demons at the end!!


God bless our gallant Armed Forces!
God bless Borno State!
God bless Nigeria!!

It's very long.. I manage read half thou

Story that touches the heart

So they are no longer freedom fighters fighting for the cause of Allah because they no longer see Christians to kill and have to face Muslims


True sharia society has come to stay.

You guys must embrace it.

Why are muslims not always happy with themselves? Why ar they always killing and destroyin?