FG inaugurates remodelled Chibok school seven years after B’Haram attack

President Muhammadu Buhari on Monday inaugurated the newly remodelled Government Girls Secondary School in the Chibok Local Government Area of Borno State.

The school was attacked by the Boko Haram terrorisms seven years ago, where they kidnapped 276 schoolgirls.

The new school is now renamed ‘Government Secondary School’ as a mixed school for boys and girls.

The attack which took place on April 14, 2014 had led to the schoolgirls, mostly Christians, being ferried into Sambisa Forest, causing agony for the parents, the state and the country.

Former President Goodluck Jonathan through his Finance Minister, Dr Ngozi Okonjo Iwella, visited Chibok in March 2015, to lay the foundations for new school building.

But not until President Muhammadu Buhari came on board, in which, the Borno State Government under the leadership of Governor Babagana Zulum took over that the project was completed, this year.

While some of the girls escaped, some rescued, about 112 of them were held captive or married off to the terrorists as their whereabouts are still unknown.

Minister of Women Affairs, Mrs Pauline Tallen, who at the Monday’s inauguration represented Buhari, said she was in the state to bring a goodwill message of the President to the people of Borno, especially those in Chibok.

She thanked Borno State Government for singlehandedly renovating the school.

She said the FG was determined to provide quality education, especially to the downtrodden and improve the girl-child education.

She said the present administration was also unwavering to root out insurgency in the North-East region and the country as a whole to enable the displaced people to return to normal life.

The minister said, “We sympathize with the Chibok community. We know what you are going through. But I want to assure you that we are working day and night to make sure that life returns to normal both in your community and all others affected by terrorism.

“I want to appeal to Chibok leaders and the community to continue give their maximum support to the present administration under the leadership of Governor Babagana Umara Zulum who is ever willing to give girl child education the desire it needs.”

The chief host, Governor Zulum, thanked President Buhari for his support and cooperation to the state government to obtain the required funds which led to the completion of all the destroyed structures, and pledged his administration’s commitment to uplifting the education sector in the state.

He prayed God to rescue the remaining schoolgirls and all those still in the captivity of Boko Haram.

Zulum said, “The reconstructed Chibok school have a state of the art classrooms, library and laboratory, computer and ICT centre, a sports arena and a clinic.

“For security, it has a gate house and observation post to be manned by well-equipped security agents.

“This administration promised to rebuild the Government Secondary School in Chibok which was destroyed by terrorists. Today, I am glad that we are all witnessing the official commissioning of the completed befitting projects.

“We want our students to go back to school. We want them to get the education they need to live a decent life. We will support them and we will do everything we can to support their parents and the entire community.

“We will also not forget the Chibok girls. We are working hard to ensure that they return home. As a father, I can feel the pain of the parents. What happened was tragic. But I want you to know that this administration cares. We will not abandon our children. We are with you.”

A number of other projects executed by the state government were also commissioned to mark the governor’s two-year anniversary.

 

The projects executed by the Zulum administration are the newly constructed Government Lodges in Chibok and Askira Uba LGA,  Mbabala Technical College also in Chibok; primary health care centres in Mbalala and Wamdeo in Askira Uba; 200 housing units in Chibok town; 20 double classrooms in Damboa; boreholes in Mboa community as well as distribution of palliatives, among others.