Jutha Gupah, Maiduguri
The Borno State governor, Babagana Zulum has clinched the role model awards of the Hallmark of Labour Foundation (HLF) for excellence in leadership and good governance.
The Foundation, led by Prof. Emeritus Umaru Shehu, comprises respected elder statesmen and women of technocrats, diplomats and academics in the country.
Presenting the awards, over the weekend (Saturday), in Lagos, the former Secretary General of the Commonwealth, Emeka Anyaoku disclosed: “Today’s recipient for this award for excellence in leadership and good governance is Prof. Zulum of Borno state.
“He is without doubts a performing Governor in the state.”
Besides, he added that the Governor’s performance in leadership; has greatly enhanced the well-being of the good people of the state.
Anyaoku noted that Zulum’s leadership has set him apart, as a great Nigerian role model to emulate by other Governors in the country.
The Zulum administration was credited for completing 120 capital projects in its first 100 days in office.
No less than 326 capital projects and 49 other capital-intensive programmes were also executed in the first year.
In the second year in office, 556 capital projects were completed with the commissioning of over 600 capital projects in the third year.
These were beside Governor Zulum assuming the role of Borno state chief humanitarian officer, traversing all communities even at risk to his personal safety.
He also supervises security deployments, humanitarian responses, and reconstruction of communities destroyed by Boko Haram and safe resettlements of about a million Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) and refugees from Niger, Chad and Cameroon.
Other recipients of the 2022 role model awards, included
Responding , said: “I dedicate this award to my team, and most especially to the men in uniform who work with us, supporting us to achieve and deliver good governance to our people.”
He also said the award would not make him relent but rather “encourage us to do more for the good of Borno State”.
The governor noted that “there is [still] so much to be done” promising that God willing, his dream is “to build a society that works for everyone (in Borno State)”.
The HLF award was one of over 20 awards and honours received by the Governor since 2019.
The governor has, within the last three months, been presented with three awards by President Muhammadu Buhari at different occasions.
The other recipient Professors and Judges, included the former judge of the International Criminal Court, Justice Chile Eboe-Osuji, Justice Paul Adamu Galumje, Otumba Olasubomi Balogun and Prof. Ekanem Ikpi Braide.
The recipients in the fields of education, medicine, science and media comprised Professors. Akinsola Okebukola, Frank Osato Giwa-Osagie, Oladapo Adenrele Ashiru, Dennis Edokpaigbe Agbonlah, Abubakar Sani Sambo and Tonnie Osa Iredia respectively.