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Borno State Governor Kashim Shettima on Sunday said he had been a sad
man since he assumed office three years ago.
He said he had only been smiling to appear cheerful.
"If I have to open up to all of you here; most of the time, I try to
wear smiles on my face but in the true sense, I have had very few
moments of inner joy and happiness in the last three years," Shettima
said.
He said this while bemoaning the activities of the violent Islamic
sect, Boko Haram, which has its base in Maiduguri, the Borno State
capital.
The governor spoke at the inauguration of 22 units of model housing
for the people of Maffa, in the outskirts of Maiduguri.
He said, "One of the few moments of my inner joy, like I said earlier,
is our gathering here to formally launch the Borno State Stalk Houses
Eradication Programme, which is an ambitious scheme that is targeted
at gradually eliminating stalk houses in different parts of Borno
State and replacing them with model houses, at no cost to the
beneficiaries.
"Today is one of the few moments of my life since I assumed the
leadership of Borno State as governor in nearly three years that I
could said to be truly happy. You all know the traumatic experiences
we have been facing as a state since 2009, you will recall that in
2011, we took over administration and continued to manage the
unfortunate insurgency that brought very tragic and unforgettable
experiences to our beloved heritage, Borno."
Members of Boko Haram, a group opposed to Western education and with
an objective to Islamise Nigeria, began waging war against the Federal
Government in 2009.
They have launched many attacks at military and police facilities,
churches, mosques, markets and drinking joints in different parts of
the north and Abuja.
In June 2011, a lone suicide bomber from the group attacked the police
headquarters in Abuja, killing one policeman while about 70 cars were
burnt.
In August 2011, the group also bombed the UN office in Abuja, killing
a total of 45 persons.
On Christmas Day same 2011, members of the sect bombed the St.
Theresa's Catholic Church in Madalla, Niger State, killing at least 43
parishioners.
Since then, the death toll from the sect's attacks had been in tens.
Just on Sunday, there were reports that members of the group attacked
yet another village, Izge, in Gwoza Local Government Area of Borno
State and killed 93 persons in the evening of Saturday.
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