By Ahmed Liman Kingimi, Maiduguri
The Kirawa community in Gwoza Local Government Area of Borno State has honoured Governor Babagana Umara Zulum with an Award of Appreciation for his administration’s sustained commitment to the reconstruction, resettlement and restoration of essential services in the border community.
The award, presented by the Kirawa Development Association, comes as the Borno State Government announced fresh plans to rehabilitate and fence schools in Kirawa and other communities in Gwoza to restore learning and improve safety for returning residents.
Speaking during the presentation, Chairman of the Association, Yakubu Mabba-Ali Kirawa, said words were not enough to express the community’s gratitude to the governor.
“There is no word we can say to express our appreciation to Governor Zulum. Kirawa was deserted around 2013. There was no school and the community was inaccessible,” he said.
“But with Governor Zulum’s zeal and enthusiasm for his people, he resettled the people of Kirawa, established a military base for security, and with his hardworking Commissioner for Education, built schools in Kirawa. That is why we are here today to present this award of appreciation. We have nothing to give other than to pray for Almighty Allah’s protection and blessings for the Governor.”
The District Head of Kirawa, Abdulrahman Abubakar, and elder statesman, Prof. Dugje Kadiri, who also spoke, commended the administration for returning life to the community, while appealing for more interventions, including adequate water supply, rebuilding of the General Hospital, Kirawa, and the reconstruction of the road linking the community, which the governor had earlier promised.
Receiving the award on behalf of Governor Zulum, the Commissioner for Education, Science, Technology and Innovation, Engr. Lawan Abba Wakilbe, said the recognition belongs to the people of Borno who have shown resilience.
“All thanks be to Almighty Allah. We had meetings with you about two to three times and what we promised, we have fulfilled,” Wakilbe said.
“We took secondary school to Kirawa and restored GGSS Kirawa that was closed since 2013. We also employed teachers who are indigenous to Kirawa, and I am happy I saw all of them during our working visit. Now everything is in order.”
Wakilbe disclosed that the state government will extend its intervention to Kirawa in October.
“This year, we will fence the schools and renovate the primary schools, provide teaching and learning materials and furniture between the first and second week of October,” he said.
He described Kirawa as a strategic border community that must be stabilized to secure the state and encourage large-scale return.
Governor Zulum had earlier disclosed that over 5,000 school structures were destroyed across Borno during the Boko Haram insurgency. The planned rehabilitation and fencing of schools in Kirawa is part of the broader safe school initiative and post-insurgency recovery programme aimed at improving the learning environment and strengthening protection for students and teachers.
For residents of Kirawa, who are gradually rebuilding their lives after more than a decade of displacement, the honour to the Governor and the planned school intervention represent a renewed hope for stability and a brighter future.
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