President Muhammadu Buhari yesterday in Maiduguri, Borno State, assured citizens of the federal government’s presence in fighting Boko Haram to the end, and ensuring that Internally Displaced Persons are fully returned to continue normal lives, commending Governor Babagana Zulum for resilience and relentless efforts in rebuilding the state.
President Buhari, on an official visit to the state to appraise the security situation and commission some development projects, attributed recent successes recorded by the military against insurgents at Dikwa, Damboa and Gwoza to careful planning, infusion of new equipment and other war materials as well as quality military leadership.
The president said all the Service Chiefs that were appointed this year either served as Theatre Commanders or were part of the command’s operations at one time or the other.
The president said the late President Idris Deby of Chad played a major role in the fight against Boko Haram in the Lake Chad region, urging his successors to work hard in restoring democracy to the country and support the processes of bringing peace to the region.
Meanwhile, President Muhammadu Buhari yesterday clarified his birth lineage as he revealed that though he is a Fulani, his mother is partly of Kanuri of Borno background.
Buhari made this revelation at the palace of the Shehu of Borno during his just concluded one-day presidential visit to the state.
The president, who arrived Maiduguri in the morning, commissioned seven projects, including tertiary education facilities and health clinics.
He was expected to make a remark after Governor Babagana Zulum and the Shehu of Borno had delivered their speeches.
But instead of responding to the issues and demands raised by his host, the president chose to go down the memory lane to retrace his ancestry and journey in public life.
Earlier the Shehu of Borno who took time to eulogize the president for his love and concern for Borno, seized the opportunity to beg the President to assist the state in the return of Internally Displaced Persons from northern Borno, to their recovered communities.
