COUGH FORCES GOVERNOR TO ABANDON INAUGURAL SPEECH, AS CEREMONY ENDS ABRUPTLY

The Governor having paused for about five minutes, stood up to continue his speech, but the coughing resumed, while the former Governor, Kashim Shettima and the new Deputy Governor climbed up the podium to check if the coughing Governor was okay.

Penpushing further reports that, after assessing the situation, the Security Chief at the arena advised that the rest of the ceremony be put on hold, and called on the police band to chant the national anthem.

The Governor from the podium stood for the National Anthem after which he stepped down, waved at the large crowd and shortly after left the arena for the airport alongside his predecessor Kashim Shettima.

Penpushing also reports that, the Governor, who is a Professor of irrigation engineering, had earlier been sworn-in alongside his Deputy, Umar Kadafur, by the Chief Judge of Borno State, Kashim Zanna, stating that his administration will hit the ground running with a 10-point agenda for speedy development of the State.

The Governor who thanked his predecessor for not only assisting him to become Governor but also for laying a ‘solid foundation of development upon which he would build upon’ said his government will work with the newly established North East Development Commission (NEDC), UN system and other development partners towards the rebuilding of Borno State.

Penpushing reports that, in his  10-point agenda, Umara said his government will focus on security; education, job creation, and good governance, adding that there would be the “replacement of ‘political thuggery’ with job creation.”

The Governor emphasized that this will be carried out under a proposed Entrepreneurship Development Skills Centre, adding, “the era of political thuggery, known as ECOMOG, has constituted a nuisance in the State for over two decades.

Penpushing further reports that, the speech said the Governor assured that the restoration of security will be the number one cardinal agenda of his government, stressing that he will support the Nigerian Security Agencies to ensure that Borno State is made safe again.

The Governor added that his government will invest massively in the area of Agriculture, especially by establishing buffer zones in locations that are secured by the military “in order to return Borno as the food production hub of northern Nigeria.

“My focus is on improving the security of the state as insecurity is the major impediment that affected people’s lives for a decade. I will ensure the return of our displaced people to their farmlands to ensure national food security’.

“I will also fight unemployment and poverty among youths and embark on the massive reconstruction of destroyed communities. This will enable the people to return to their ancestral homes, while we seek more support from humanitarian donor agencies across the globe. This administration will be devoid of personal/group interests, politics, religion or ethnicity among the various communities in Borno,” he said.