Terrorism: Borno sets up health task force for victims

The Borno state government said on Sunday that it had established a mobile task force on health to provide medical services to victims of insurgency across the state.

Governor Kashim Shettima stated this in a radio and television broadcast. He said that the action was aimed at preventing the outbreak of diseases in Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) camps in the state.

“The task force has established clinics in victims’ camps and it is coordinating the efficiency of the clinics to guarantee the availability of health personnel at all times, drugs, ambulances and other required materials.

“The task force is moving round Maiduguri and environs to source for and attend to the health needs of victims on both emergency and lesser cases,” he said.

Shettima said that government was also working on plans to distribute food stuffs to the victims of insurgency in the state.

“Government is not unaware of the multi-facet effects of insurgent attacks on other spheres of human lives in affected communities in terms of food security, means of livelihood and access to education, among others.

“Already, government has taken measures to acquire food stuffs for free distribution to affected citizens,” he said.

He added that: “Government has purchased thousands of bags of food stuffs and more is being acquired.”

He said that government was also working on plans to introduce rehabilitation programmes to the insurgency victims.

“On the issue of means of livelihood, the Secretary to the State Government (SSG) is to chair a high level and Enlarged Victims Rehabilitation, Reintegration and Support Team that will soon meet and work with stakeholders in affected communities to assist victims on a permanent measure,” the governor said.

He said government plans to set up new schools to accommodate children who were orphaned by the insurgency.

“On access to education, government has observed in recent time, a high scale requirement of admissions into primary and secondary school especially from guardians who seek slots at orphanage schools in Maiduguri and Biu in particular, for orphans whose parents were killed as a result of the insurgency.

“Consequently, a team of respected academics, school administrators and educationists have been put in place, with the mandate of coming up with State Primary and Secondary Schools for Special Citizens to be cited in Maiduguri and Biu,” Shettima said.

“The schools are to be designed to accommodate high capacity of pupils with modern boarding facilities.

“Every child admitted into that school is to be on full government scholarship from basic to university education”.

“Members of the public willing to make donations will be entertained to a ‘Adoption of Child Education Programme’ though which kind citizens can adopt the education of a child, two or more, through a well organised system that can be monitored by every sponsor.

“While the team is to fine tune this idea, the Ministry of Education is actively working to identify and enrol affected children into temporary public schools in Maiduguri and Biu, and at same time setting up temporary sites for special schools so that affected children can have immediate access to education soon as schools open”.

Shettima commended security agencies for their efforts in tackling the insurgency. “This administration has never and Insha Allah will never abdicate from its obligations to citizens.

“We have done, and still doing everything within the limits of our powers and resources, to complement the duty of the Federal Government to safeguard lives and property,” he said.

Shettima urged the federal government to redouble its efforts in ending the insurgency. “We strongly appeal to the Federal Government to redouble its present efforts so that the nation will be a historic witness to speedy containment of the Boko Haram insurgency.

“The Borno State Government will continue to do whatever it can to compliment the constitutional roles of the Federal Government in this battle of ours,” he said.