The First Lady, Sen. Oluremi Tinubu, on Monday inaugurated a newly constructed nursing quarters and two mega schools in Maiduguri being built by Gov. Babagana Zulum of Borno.
Tinubu also launched the North-east National Community Food Bank programme, a programme which was initiated by her office to tackle hunger and malnutrition nationwide.
The newly unveiled nursing quarters, located adjacent to the State Specialist Hospital, consist of eight blocks of six flats.
Each unit is fully furnished and equipped with air-conditioning systems, designed to provide comfortable living conditions for health personnel.
The First Lady also inaugurated two mega primary schools: Aliyakeri and Abbaganaram Primary Schools.
Each school comprises 48 classrooms with a capacity for thousands of pupils and is equipped with an Information and Communication Technology (ICT) centre, modern sports facilities, e-learning systems and solar-powered electricity to ensure uninterrupted learning.
Tinubu praised the governor for his people-centred approach to governance, noting that the projects would enhance human resources for health and boost the quality of education in Borno.
“You have done very well, I am really privileged and honoured to be here at the commissioning today. What we have seen so far in Borno is quite encouraging,” she said.
The Zulum administration had completed the construction of 104 mega schools, with several other school projects at various stages of completion across the 27 local government areas of the state.
The First Lady also launched the N200 million empowerment programme for 2,000 vulnerable women across the 27 local government areas.
Each beneficiary will receive a grant of N100,000 and a sewing machine to improve their livelihood.
Tinubu, however, commended Zulum for the empowerment programme, which, according to her, speaks volumes about his commitment to the welfare of the people of Borno.
The breakdown shows that 400 vulnerable women were selected from Maiduguri metropolis, 200 from Jere Local Government Area (LGA), 100 from Biu LGA and the remaining 24 LGAs received 50 beneficiaries each.
Similarly, the first Lady also presented keys of brand-new utility vehicles to eight outstanding teachers, head teachers, principals, TVET coordinators, and staff of the Borno Ministry of Education for their commitment to duty, courtesy of the governor.
In a related development, the governor presented a house to a ministry watchman, Baba Modu Fandi, in recognition of his dedication to duty, while Tinubu further rewarded him with an additional sum of N2 million.
Earlier, Tinubu stated that child malnutrition remained a national priority for the President Bola Tinubu’s administration toward ensuring millions of children have access to adequate food and nutrition.
She said that the Community Food Bank Programme was conceived by her office as a sustainable response to bringing healthy and nutritious food within the reach of vulnerable children under six, strengthening community-based nutrition systems, and restoring hope where it is most needed.
According to her, the programme which will serve as a bridge between food surplus and communities in need is being implemented in partnership with the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, the National Primary Healthcare Development Agency, and the Bank of Agriculture.
She said that the goal of the programme was to build a strong and effective food bank system in the country which could be supported by a well-structured trust fund capable of reaching out to communities and households nationwide.
Tinubu, however, urged the wives of the governors in the North-east states to encourage their husbands to give the programme the deserved support.
