Borno State Governor Babagana Umara Zulum has said that he has no ambition to rule Nigeria
He was responding to questions in an interview with BBC Hausa which aired on Wednesday.
“I am grateful to Allah for making me the governor. I am not after wealth or anything. I just want Borno State to have enduring peace and stability. It is a responsibility which the Almighty has placed on my shoulders.
“Nobody can tell you he has seen Babagana sleeping for six or five hours. You have never seen it. So all these are just talks. Allah gives power to whoever He wills. But, by Allah, I don’t have the ambition that I must become president or anything. My singular wish is to finish in peace, for Borno State to enjoy peace. In the end, whatever Allah decrees, so be it,” he said.
On his achievements after two years in office:
Zulum said “In our two years we have bought over 700 cars some of which we gave to the civilian JTF, hunters, military and the police. Right now the Borno State Government is planning to buy nine Armored Personnel Carriers (APCs), I have already paid for three. The amount we are spending is about N2bn.
“Four years ago it was practically impossible to farm, but we have opened up so many areas and people are going to farms even in far places. Third is education. We believe that if we fail to give our children education, this insurgency will not end. So we’re building about 17 mega schools, some we have finished, others we have not.”
On what gives him joy
“If I render assistance to IDPs – some people here in Maiduguri will say why should the governor go and give them something. They don’t have food! There was a time we went to Dikwa and shared food. There are about 300,000 in Dikwa, but they didn’t have three bags of sorghum even the one for sale in the whore area. You will see a woman walking and will just collapse because of hunger.
“There is no place where we can supply with food that will last them two months. But Allah has several means of helping the people. Sometimes, before we’d go back, they would have succeeded in farming something. Nothing gives me joy than seeing the poor people (IDPs) having food, being able to go to farm and rear their animals, with no incident on the road.
“Without security and food you can’t start thinking of hospitals, schools and so on be. So I feel happy anytime I see hope in the eyes of thousands of people, believing that with the help of God we will be able to do something for them.”
I am not afraid of dying
“People should know that life will end at its appointed time. There is no human being that does not value his life. But I also look at the thousands of people suffering. Wherever the Boko Haram insurgency displaced people, I will go there. What would have happened if we had refused to go to Damasak? And I went by road. Some will not be able to go by road, I don’t want to mention names. But we went there and even slept over.
“We ensured that the about 100,000 people seeking refuge in Niger Republic were returned. If we had not gone there because of fear, what would have happened to those people? Women and children, some even given birth on the road. Like DIkwa, where I also visited. There are about 350,000 people. Where will they go to? This is why we will not fear to go there. God will protect us. And if we die, may God bless our souls.
“When I was going to Damasak, they suggested I go by air, but I opted for the road, so that the people can also use the road. It is not by my power, but if we had confined ourselves, there would have been no Baga, Dikwa, Mobbar today. Most of these cities were not there before. So we have to trust in God who gave us power. And if you put your trust in Him, He will open ways for you.”
