Bodunrin Kayode
In a bid to strengthen security in the southern part of Borno State, Governor Babagana Umara Zulum on Thursday held a mini security meeting with military commanders within the jurisdiction of Sector 2 of Operation Hadin Kai.
Sector 2 of Operation Hadin Kai oversees several military formations, including the 135 Special Forces Battalion and the renowned 25 Brigade of the Nigerian Army.
The meeting, held at the Biu Zonal Office of the Department of Monitoring, Evaluation and Special Projects, underscored the administration's commitment to improving security, deepening grassroots governance, and bringing government closer to the people.
At the meeting, Governor Zulum engaged with the Sector 2 Commander of Operation Hadin Kai, Brigadier General Edet Effiong, and the Commander of the 29 Task Force Brigade, Benisheikh, on strategies to consolidate recent gains recorded in counter-insurgency operations across the state.
The Biu Zonal Office, which operates under the Office of the Governor, was established and commissioned by Governor Zulum in 2022 to strengthen public service delivery, enhance accountability, improve project monitoring and evaluation, and accelerate infrastructural development across the Southern Borno Senatorial District.
Thursday's engagement marked the first time Governor Zulum officially conducted government business from the Biu Zonal Office since its establishment, representing another milestone in the decentralisation of government operations.
The governor's decision to operate from the facility reflects his leadership philosophy of taking governance to the grassroots rather than concentrating government activities solely in Maiduguri.
Since assuming office in 2019, Governor Zulum has maintained a hands-on approach to governance, travelling extensively across all 27 local government areas to personally inspect projects and engage directly with communities.
In addition to operating from the Government House in Maiduguri, the governor has regularly conducted official functions from the Musa Usman Secretariat, which serves as his second operational office for attending to state affairs.
Governor Zulum is currently on a week-long working tour of the Southern Borno Senatorial District in the company of the senator representing the district, Ali Ndume.
On Wednesday, the governor flagged off the 2026 wet-season farming programme and launched the sale and distribution of 200 truckloads of NPK fertiliser at a 50 per cent subsidised rate. He also distributed free agrochemicals, knapsack sprayers, certified seeds, water pumps, and 10,000 bicycles to small-scale farmers in Kwaya Kusar Local Government Area.
During the tour, Governor Zulum also announced the employment of 100 unemployed graduates from Biu Local Government Area as part of efforts to address youth unemployment, curb political thuggery, and reduce other social vices.
The announcement was made during a courtesy visit to the Emir of Biu, Alhaji Mustapha Umar Mustapha II.
Biu, the administrative headquarters of Southern Borno, has remained one of the few major towns in the region that has never been overrun by insurgents during the more than 15-year insurgency in the North-East, unlike Gwoza, which experienced prolonged terrorist occupation.
