Professor Hassan Bdliya has thrown more light on his speech which, Borno state Governor Babagana Zulum termed as an insult on him and his administration.
“My comments were not targeted at Mr. Zulum as a person or his administration but rather alluding to a long historical turf of his people,” he said.
Prof. Hassan, a prominent son of Bura was a guest speaker at the Annual Bura Cultural Day which was held on the first of January 2023 at Marama Town in Hawul Local Government of Borno state, where his paper alluded to a long history of co-existence between the dominant ethnic nationalities and minorities across Nigeria including the Bura people and the other tribes like the Kanuris in Borno state.
But Governor Zulum who was in attendance at the event after the paper said it as an insult at him for anyone to say he was marginalizing any ethnic group in Borno state.
The governor was quoted in a national of January 3 2023 as saying that, “ for somebody like me, I think it’s an insult on me for somebody to talk about Marginalisation looking at the number of Mega projects that we have initiated to this very important Local Government Area and by extension in Marama town.
“For me I think Borno state is one, yes I am Kanuri by tribe and under no circumstances since I assumed office as the Governor of Borno state, I decided to sideline any tribe in Borno.
“I was not happy with the speech of one of your elders, because this administration has performed better in Southern Borno, than even in Northern Borno.
“This is for the first time Borno government had Christian Head of Service, I believed we are doing our best, but we are all human beings, if there is anything wrong we did to the Bura community, we will rectify our mistake by God grace.
“What we did in terms of capital projects in this part of the state is not obtainable in Borno Central and Northern Borno, we constructed so many roads and primary healthcare, we built various mega schools including Biu high Islamic school, we built churches, we empowered your women and youths with capital and skills acquisition, among other things, all in Bura community.
“We are overhauling Marama General Hospital, built ultra modern market in Kwaya Kusar, I built police station, I offer scholarship to thousands of students in this community, I built vocational Centre in Marama”, Zulum responded.
But Prof. Hassan in his reaction said his comments were not targeted at Mr. Zulum as a person or his administration but rather alluding to a long historical turf of his people.
“I wish to clarify the context in which the aforementioned article, which pitched me as an insulter of Governor Zulum, was couched. The journalist who wrote it apparently did not have enough time or space to present it.
“Governor Zulum in his address at the Bura Cultural Day held at Marama on January 1st 2023, did indeed express his displeasure about a statement that I made in my address as the Guest Speaker at the event. Among many statements that I made in the address, in the context which I now wish to clarify, I indeed did state that the people of Biu, albeit of southern Borno, are marginalized,” he said.
