Zulum unveils 25-year development plan to turn Borno into ‘world-class society’

Babagana Zulum, governor of Borno, has unveiled a 25-year development plan through which the state will be transformed into a world-class society.

Speaking at the unveiling ceremony on Saturday, he said the state will evolve “after fully recovering from impact of more than $6 billion worth of destruction caused by Boko Haram”.

The event took place in Maiduguri, the Borno capital, at the multipurpose hall of the government house.

Zulum announced that all activities of the government will, henceforth, be executed according to the development plan tagged “Our Borno, Our Success”.

The plan is anchored on five critical pillars of human capital development, leadership in agriculture, healthy citizenry, sustainable environment, and regional trade hub for commerce that will provide jobs and better welfare for residents.

Zainab Ahmed, minister of finance, budget and national planning, performed the official launch of the plan.

Zulum had earlier directed a team, led by Mairo Mandara, his special adviser on sustainable development, to interact with all stakeholders to collate views on immediate, medium, and long term needs of communities in all the 27 local government areas of the state.

The team, using a participatory approach that included a consultative workshop to define the objectives and priorities, came up with a strategic development plan.

Giving an overview, Mandara said the vision is to ensure that by 2030, Borno transforms the insurgency-ravaged society into a peaceful, stable and self-reliant state with over 70 percent productive population.

She said by 2045, the state hopes to deliver a prosperous society that is a leading regional agri-business and commercial hub that connects and supplies the markets of Central Africa and Northern Africa, “reclaiming the glory of Old Borno empire as the stabilising power in tropical Africa”.

In attendance were Isa Pantami, minister of communications and digital economy; Kashim Shettima and Ali Modu Sheriff, former governors of Borno; national assembly members, traditional rulers led by the Shehu of Borno; representatives from the international community, members of Borno house of assembly, political leaders and other stakeholders.