In the third and final day of Governor Babagana Umara Zulum’s humanitarian trip to Damasak, in the shores of Lake Chad, a total of 1,163 children of Internally Displaced Persons were enrolled into primary school after the governor supervised the enrollment campaign.
The pupils who hailed Guzamala and Abadam local government areas in northern Borno, had been out of school since the displacement of their parents and guardians, by Boko Haram, following attacks on communities they lived.
Zulum appealed to parents to allow their children enroll in schools. He noted that where functional schools are provided by government, social welfare assistance from government will eventually be restricted to parents who allow their children and wards to attend schools whether western or combined curriculum of Islamic and western education.
The governor also addressed secondary school students in Damasak and those who have written their senior schools certificate exams, in preparation for higher institution. He promised all of them government support to help them actualize their dreams in live.
Zulum had traveled to Damasak Saturday morning, the day he launched the distribution of water pumps, fertilizer, seeds, chemicals and five thousand naira cash to each of 1,200 irrigation farmers embarking on food cultivation this dry season.
The following day, Sunday, the governor supervised the distribution of food combination to 10,000 internally displaced families in need of support. Each of the 10,000 families received 25kg of rice
25kg of beans, 25kg of maize and 5 litres of cooking oil as part of interventions before they can generate livelihoods for themselves in Damasak.
Damasak, headquarters of Mobbar local government area in northern Borno, is a former stronghold of Boko Haram insurgents before it was liberated with citizens now resettled by Zulum.
The governor traveled with Senator Abubakar Kyari, the senator representing northern Borno, who is also an indigene of Damasak. Also in the trip is state caretaker chairman of the APC, Ali Bukar Dalori, commissioner for agric, Engr Bukar Talba and some stakeholders with affiliation to Mobbar LGA.