Borno State Governor, Babagana Zulum has received a Good Leadership Award from the Kirawa community in Gwoza Local Government Area in recognition of his administration’s efforts to rebuild the border town after years of insurgency.
The award was presented by the Kirawa Development Association during a visit where the Borno State Government also announced fresh plans to rehabilitate and fence schools in Kirawa and other communities in Gwoza to improve education and security.
Chairman of the association, Yakubu Mabba Ali Kirawa, said the community remained grateful for the governor’s commitment to restoring normal life in the area.
“There is no word we can say to express our appreciation to Governor Zulum. Kirawa was deserted around 2013. There was no school and the community was inaccessible.
“But with Governor Zulum’s zeal and enthusiasm for his people, he resettled the people of Kirawa, established a military base for security, and with his hardworking Commissioner for Education, built schools in Kirawa.
“That is why we are here today to present this award of appreciation. We have nothing to give other than to pray for Almighty Allah’s protection and blessings for the Governor.”
The District Head of Kirawa, Abdulrahman Abubakar, and elder statesman, Prof. Dugje Kadiri, also praised the governor for restoring life to the community. They appealed for more government support, including improved water supply, reconstruction of the General Hospital in Kirawa and the rehabilitation of the road linking the community.
Receiving the award on behalf of Governor Zulum, the Commissioner for Education, Science, Technology and Innovation, Engr. Lawan Abba Wakilbe, dedicated the recognition to the people of Borno for their resilience.
“All thanks be to Almighty Allah. We had meetings with you about two to three times and what we promised, we have fulfilled.
“We took secondary school to Kirawa and restored GDSS Kirawa that was closed since 2013. We also employed teachers who are indigenous to Kirawa, and I am happy I saw all of them during our working visit. Now everything is in order.
“This year, we will fence the schools and renovate the primary schools, provide teaching and learning materials and furniture between the first and second week of October.”
Wakilbe said the state government would extend more interventions to Kirawa in October, describing the community as a strategic border town that must remain stable to encourage the return of displaced residents.
He noted that more than 5,000 school buildings were destroyed across Borno during the Boko Haram insurgency, adding that the planned rehabilitation and fencing of schools in Kirawa form part of the state’s Safe School Initiative and post-insurgency recovery programme.
A resident, Yakubu Umar, welcomed the latest development, saying it has renewed hope among families rebuilding their lives after years of displacement.
> “For residents of Kirawa, who are gradually rebuilding their lives after more than a decade of displacement, the honour to the Governor and the planned school intervention represent a renewed hope for stability and a brighter future.”
