Nigeria’s President Muhammadu Buhari in Borno state to ‘assess security’

Nigeria’s president Muhammadu Buhari will start his one day working visit to Borno state, north-eastern Nigeria on Thursday.

The state governor, Babagana Zulum says the president is visiting to “assess the security situation and inaugurate some of the projects” that both the federal and state governments have completed in the state.

Borno is the base of Boko Haram fighters who have been troubling the whole country for over 10 years now and is the state that has suffered most in Nigeria as far as insecurity is concerned.

Governor of the state Babagana Zulum, urged Borno residents to show support and behave orderly during the President’s visit.

Youths booed Buhari in Maiduguri

During his last visit on 12 February, 2020 some youths shouted ‘Ba mayi’ ‘Ba mayi’ meaning ‘we don’t support’ ‘we don’t support’ as Buhari left the Shehu of Borno palace.

According to a press release from the Borno State government, some of the things the president is expected to do during his visit include:

• To assess the security situation in the state
• To launch some projects that governor Zulum initiated
• Launch 4,000 out of the 10,000 houses that government wants to build for displaced people from Boko Haram war
• The Borno government statement hailed Buhari for the 10,000 houses initiative that they say wille go a long way to help displaced people.

The ‘we don’t support’ shout that happened the last time

On 12th of February, 2020 as Buhari was leaving Shehu of Borno palace in the Yan Nono area of Maiduguri metropolis, some people start to shout ‘We don’t support’ in Hausa language as Buhari’s convoy is passing through.

On that occasion the president went to condole the people of Borno after a deadly attack by Boko Haram left many people dead.

That time Shehu Garba the president’s special adviser on media and publicity said those sharing the embarrassing video on social media didn’t do justice to the people of Borno who are very hospitable and kind to the president.

“I was on the trip and most the important thing is that most of the people welcomed and thanked us for things we are doing.” This is what Garba Shehu said during that episode.

For years, insecurity in Borno state, north east Nigeria, wrecked havoc in that part of the country with many citizens suffering in the hands of Boko Haram insurgents. This was why many people voted for Buhari in 2015; and still re-elect him in 2019 with up to 94% of their votes.