Borno State Governor Kashim Shettima has said Boko Haram insurgents have created 54,911 widows and 52,311 orphans in the state.
The governor also said the insurgents had destroyed 5,600 classrooms, 512 primary schools and 38 high schools and tertiary institutions of learning and 956,453 units of houses.
He said the Boko Haram crisis had forced the state to re-engineer the state.
Shettima said his administration was committing huge resources to education to give the residents, especially the youths, the opportunity to be well educated.
The governor spoke at the Government House in Maiduguri, the state capital, while hosting a prominent Islamic scholar with vast followers on the social media, Sheik Mufti Ismail Menk.
The sheikh was in Maiduguri to deliver a lecture at Al-Ansar Masjid and the University of Maiduguri (UNIMAID) on the invitation of The One Ummah Group, organisers of a lecture series.
Representative of the group, Dawud Kyari, accompanied Sheikh Menk to the Government House.
Recognising the Sheikh’s preaching against terrorism, Shettima recounted statistical damages done to the state by the dreaded sect, even though it fostered some opportunities to re-engineer societies.
He said: “Boko Haram, the mass murderers, caused a lot of havoc on our society such that we have 54,911 widows and 52,311 orphans. This statistics is extracted from Recovery and Peace Building Assessment conducted by the World Bank in partnership with the European Union (EU) and the Nigerian Presidency.
“They destroyed 30 per cent of the houses in Borno State, comprising 956,453 units of houses. I really don’t want to bore you with the statistics. But they destroyed 5,600 classrooms, 512 primary schools and 38 high schools and tertiary institutions of learning.
“…This crisis has fostered some opportunities to re-engineer our societies.”
The governor also expressed his administration’s efforts, strides and some future plans for the betterment of the populace.
He said: “We are building mega-schools across the length and breadth of the state. About 40 of them are to take care of over 50,000 orphans whose parents were killed by Boko Haram. All our classrooms are going to be equipped with digital technology aids. In all our schools, we are going to feed them one meal per day. It pains because as leaders, our kids are going to posh schools, while the masses are growing up and being denied access to Western education.”
“We are building lives and livelihoods in our enlightened self-interests because these orphans and widows, 15 years down the line, we either take care of them or they will take care of us. They will be Frankenstein monsters that will consume us all.
“And education is the only window and opportunity. We are advocating bilingual education: a blend of Islamic and Western education so that we can come up with something feasible. So, I will urge and invite you to visit one or two of our schools so that you can have a better perspective on where we are heading.”
The governor described the sheikh as a face of modernity and moderation as well as an advocate of education with gender-friendly sermons.
He showered encomiums on the scholar, acknowledging his large following.
Shettima said: “I’ve been on the internet and got a lot of your sermons, which are so educating and enlightening.
“Allah has blessed you with a depth of knowledge, versatility and rich in educating the Muslim Ummah.
“Yes, you were educated at Medina (Saudi Arabia), but you are a pride of Africa. You are Allah’s gift to humanity. Many people tend to assume you are from Saudi Arabia. You are African, you are from Zimbabwe. We are all mightily proud of your accomplishments.
“You have millions of fans. I follow you on Twitter: you have at least 20 million followers. You might not notice me.”
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