#TrackNigeria – In his last activity before departing Maiduguri on Thursday evening, a joyous and overwhelmed President Muhammadu Buhari, looked into the eyes of Governor Kashim Shettima and with emotions, he said, ‘Kashim, Allah Ya yi maka albarka’ meaning “Kashim (Shettima) May God bless you”.
The President offered the prayer in the presence of former SGF, Ambassador Babagana Kingibe and some members of the Presidential delegation. Buhari was expressing feelings after he commissioned 13 landmark projects which include an industrial park with 16 plants, eight mega schools (some with hostels) for 14,320 children orphaned by boko haram, an estate with 300 apartments in storey buildings, Community inter-link roads, a diagnostic centre and a kidney dialysis centre. The projects were part of those executed by the outgoing administration of Governor Kashim Shettima.
Buhari arrived Maiduguri around 11am and departed at about 4pm. The President began commissioning with the industrial park which had a Solar panels production plant with optimum capacity to annually produce panels that can generate 120 megawatts; another plant for manufacturing of elementary school desks and chairs and a plant for manufacturing of Drip irrigation pipes. The park also had PVC pipes production plant, Tomatoes processing plant, Onions and Ginger dehydration plant, Pilot juice processing plant, Cassava processing plant, Table water line plant, Corn chips production plant, Biscuits production plant, Grains and cement sacks production plant, Green house nets production plant, Canopy shade nets production plant and a plant for production of plastic mats. Although each of the 16 plants manufacturers different products, some of them were assembled to share one factory hall under a modern integrated concept that ensures efficient space and other resource utilization.
In his comments after commissioning, President said “it is a realistic project (rather than a white elephant one)”.
The President then commissioned an estate with 300 apartments within dozens of two-story buildings. He also commissioned 8 mega schools, some of which were built with modern hostels to serve as boarding school for the education of 14, 320 children to be drawn from over 50,000 mostly unaccompanied orphans whose parents who were killed by Boko haram. The state government is building 50 mega schools across the state, each accommodates between 1,000 to 2,400 pupils at the distribution of 40 pupils per class.
Buhari was at Bolori where he commissioned different roads linking one another for communities which lived with problems of flooding for many years. Buhari was the State Specialist hospital where he commissioned a diagnostic centre with state-of-the-art facilities and a kidney dialysis centre. The President was conducted round the two centres where he saw high tech equipment that include MRI machines, CT scans, equipment for cancer detection and many others, some of which are said not to be found elsewhere in Nigeria except at the newly commissioned diagnostic centre in Maiduguri.
