Yobe state Governor Mai Mala Buni has said people of the state refused to keep lamenting over the havoc wreaked by the Boko Haram insurgency in order to keep the people’s hope alive.
Rather, he said his administration has continued to add value to what is left of the wrecks and therefore called on the media to report the many positive sides of the state.
Governor Buni stated this Tuesday in Abuja while receiving the letter of nomination as Blueprint’s Best Governor of the Year Award (Health), which according to him, will ginger and sustainably keep him on his toes.
The MD/CEO of the newspaper, Malam Salisu Umar, presented the letter to the governor.
Responding, the governor said: “The honour is not only for me, but for the entire people of Yobe, who through their mandate, I am the governor. I want to thank and deeply appreciate you for considering me worthy of the award. I consider this as a kind of motivation. I consider the award as an encouragement, the award will keep me on my toes to do more for the people of Yobe, Nigeria and humanity in general. We are taking this to the next level.
“When I took over in 2019, especially in the health sector, I made a commitment to the people that we would make an impact. Today, in our 178 wards, we are done with 140 wards. He (referring to editor of the paper,) was there (in Yobe) and has seen what we have done in that sector – the dispensaries, the 350-bed space maternity, and several others.”
While commending Blueprint which he described as a newspaper of choice because of its objectivity, fair and balanced reportage, the governor called on the media to report the many positives about Yobe in order not to scare way both the local and foreign investors.
“Some news media outlets are de-marketing Yobe, Adamawa and Borno states because of the insurgency. But the truth is that we are recovering from Boko Haram insurgency, we refused to be lamenting. Lamentation adds no value to anything but only keeps you procrastinating. We identified what the challenges are and prioritised them. Even the colonial masters when they came, they identified market as it unified the people and religion.
“Recovering from the Boko Haram insurgency is rejuvenating the economy, and we also prioritise primary health and take to the people’s doorsteps for nearness to hospitals,” Buni said.
While underscoring the imperativeness of the media, the governor also spoke on the concept of Islamic journalism, with special reference to Umar, the second caliph, who was always interacting with the Ummah (Muslim community) “on what he did as against what people said he did but did not do” or vice versa.
Presenting the nomination letter to the governor, Malam Umar said “our awards are given to people who excelled in their various endeavours. We do our background checks and that’s why our editor was there some time ago. His verdicts, as seen in his reportage, coupled with your stellar performance, especially in the health sector, informed your choice of this award.”
Umar, who described the governor as a friend of Blueprint, recalled his physical presence in some past awards by the company, and therefore, urged him to also honour the newspaper with his presence.