Borno was seldom in the news for positive reasons since the outbreak of the Boko Haram crisis, seven years ago. The reality was stark, the headlines worrisome and the statistics grim and frightening. The devastation caused by Boko Haram in the Borno state will take decades to repair and will require huge human and material expenditures. Going by the Recovery and Peace Building Assessment Report, conducted by the World Bank in conjunction with the Federal Government of Nigeria on the North East, the country lost over $9 Billion to Boko Haram over the years. Of this, Borno State alone accounts for $5.6 billion. This is besides the inestimable human casualties and the attendant psychological tortures.
Today, the headlines are less scaring as organized attacks become less intensive, the bombs seldom explode, except in few soft spots and the guns seems silent except in the hinterland. We hear of the capture or total liquidation of recalcitrant insurgents who refuse to surrender, rescue of captives and rebuilding destroyed structures, even as displaced persons head back to their communities. The Government does not seem to be sparing efforts at returning Borno to normalcy by addressing the monumental deficits in resources and infrastructure.
Even habitual pessimists will tend to agree that things are changing for the better. What many people may not ask about is perhaps how the relative peace in Borno was achieved and at what cost. Borno State Governor, Kashim Shettima in his six and a half years have jettisoned the luxury associated with the office of the Executive Governor and has directed his energy at rebuilding the state from the ashes of destruction. To him, nothing seems to matter any longer than returning Borno to the path of glory before he leaves in 2019.
It is rather sad that, the deafening sound of the armed affront and the attendant negative media portrayal of the situation in Borno seem to have overwhelmed the salient and manifest achievements recorded by Governor Kashim Shettima. Those who report Borno from the periphery do not seem to have helped matters, as so many things which many may find hard to believe were achieved in the state during Shettima’s rule have been hidden from public view. As one man not known to making noise, the Governor, does not also seem to consider it necessary publicizing those things he felt irrelevant in our type of socirty.
Against the prevailing economic situation in the country, coupled with the additional needs in managing the Boko Haram crisis, which is taking its toll on the resources of Borno State, it is indeed amazing that Governor Shettima has been able to undertake some development initiatives. The fact that he has been able to consistently pay staff salaries, pensions and runs the government as if there were no challenges, in addition to embarking on lofty capital projects, underscore his sense of prudence and commitment to the progress of the state.
Experts believe that, at an average annual earnings of about $150 million annually, it will take the entire resources of Borno State an average of five decades to rebuild. With an annual inflation growth of 7% it will take even more. The scenario above is in the event that the entire resources accruing to Borno State is committed to the rebuilding process alone. Where the state embarks on its conventional tasks of providing services and infrastructure, besides the payment of salaries, pensions and other fiscal responsibilities, which take the bulk of its resources, it may take Borno state more than seventy years to make up for the lost grace.
The Federal Government, United Nations, Donor Agencies and Humanitarian Organizations, International and Domestic Business organizations, Countries, groups, individuals have been contributing to the upkeep and rebuilding process. The totality of such contributions put together is still a far cry from what is required to put things in shape and resettle victims. In a deliberate effort at coordinating and harmonizing efforts in the task of rebuilding, Borno State Governor has created a Ministry, dedicated to rebuilding, rehabilitating and resettling displaced citizens. The Ministry of 3R has mapped out a comprehensive plan towards achieving its mandate, but there is no gain saying that the resources remain grossly inadequate.
Rather than pursue his development agenda, which has been described as very ambitious, Governor Kashim Shettima is now saddled with the task of sourcing for funds to meet up the existential challenges of his citizens. While the programmes he set out to achieve suffer, the Governor has to be going cup in hand on behalf of his hapless and psychological traumatized citizenry. While his counterparts enjoy the cozy fallouts of their offices, Kashim Shettima is always on the move, shuttling between pillar to pole, just to ensure Borno State remains afloat.
Shettima; a robust intellectual, with very promising agenda daily watches as his state is gradually being reduced to a pitiable beggar, sitting on vast potentials. For the first time in six years, the Governor is went for the holy pilgrimage to Mecca, to further seek for divine guidance and to thank God for His mercies so far. I am not sure if he has ever gone on leave, neither has he ever had time to make routine medical check ups. As his travails move one to a sense of pity, it is also heart warming that, he has eventually been able to find the magic wand in collaboration with the Federal Government.
One of the most critical areas where the Borno state helmsman made greater impact, but which is seldom mentioned is in the area of collaborative efforts on security. This; even more than the physical reconstruction, is one of the things that has endeared Kashim Shettima to the Federal Government and indeed the international community. He seems to have ignored calls for him to play to the gallery, rather, he makes the smooth operations of security agencies a top priority, believing that the peace of Borno is a sin qua non of her development.
Turning around the fortunes of Borno State in the face of an ever increasing conspiracy by political tormentors is certainly not a tea party. Making giant strides in areas of development in the face of scarece resources is not an easy task either. That Shettima has been able to score excellently in agriculture, housing, education, job creation, health and road construction, therefore makes him a hero worth celebrating at home and abroad. Rebuilding the infrastructures and resettling the displaced persons alone are enough burdens for any government, the additional tasks are yardsticks enough to qualify him as a selfless leader.
Galadima writes from Kaduna
