JUST-IN: Buhari In Borno To Flag Off World Humanitarian Day, Commission Projects

President Muhammadu Buhari, on Thursday, arrived Maiduguri, the Borno State capital on a one-day official visit.

The President, who arrived the Nigerian Air Force Base in Maiduguri aboard the Presidential Jet at about 12 noon, was recieved by the Borno State governor, Prof. Babagana Umara Zulum, the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Hajiya Sadiya Umar Farouk, who had arrived the State ahead of the President, the vice presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Senator Kashim Shettima and top State government officials.

President Buhari, during the visit, will commission the Teacher’s Quarters at Bulumkuttu Railway junction, undertake a virtual commissioning of 500 Resettlement Houses at Molai, and will unveil the humanitarian support to the vulnerable people at the Government House, Maiduguri, among others.

Meanwhile, ahead of the President’s visit, the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development, Hajiya Umar Farouq, flagged off the Cash Grant for Vulnerable Groups in Maiduguri.

Umar Farouq during the flag-off said that a total of 5,264 beneficiaries from across the 27 local government areas of Borno State would receive the one-off cash grant of N20,000.

The minister explained that Borno State is one of the States with the highest number of beneficiaries due to the impact of insurgency in the region.

She said, “Our target in Borno State is to disburse the grant to 5,264 beneficiaries across the 27 Local Government Areas of the State. This is one of the highest slots in the country and this is because we put into account, the impact of insurgency and the large number of Internally Displaced Persons ( IDPs  ) in the state.

“President Muhammadu Buhari, through his deliberate social inclusion agenda has directed that 70 percent of these beneficiaries must be women, while the remaining 30 percent is for the youths.

“He also directed that, at least 15 percent of the total number of beneficiaries must  be allocated to citizens with special needs, including Persons With Disability (PWDs) and Senior Citizens in the State. It is on this note that we encourage the Borno State government to note and emulate this gesture and extend similar interventions to amplify social inclusion through its policies, programmes and projects.”