A former governor of Niger State, Dr. Muazu Aliyu, has said he chased the dreaded Boko Haram leaders, Abubakar Shekau and Abu Qaqa, out of Niger State during his first term as governor.
Aliyu said if he had not done that, the state would have been the foundation of Boko Haram.
During the 2023 annual public lecture, awards, and election of the Nigerian Institute of Public Relations (NIPR) over the weekend, he emphasized that proper planning and budgeting are essential in addressing the security challenges bedeviling Nigeria, such as terrorism and banditry. He highlighted the need to eradicate the negative statistics of 20 million out-of-school children and transform Nigeria’s reputation as the global poverty capital.
According to the former governor, “When I arrived in Niger state, I found a security challenge in the form of nine people who went to a village in Mokwa local government, who had multiplied in 2007 to 7,000 people and were involved in armed robbery and abducting women in the area. They constituted themselves into a republic.
“When I took the census, I discovered that more than 60% of the members Boko Haram were not Nigerians. The original Shekau and Abu Qaga were the leaders. I got the support of the late President Musa Yar’adua to disperse them after compensating them and providing them transport to their destination in Nigeria, and the foreigners were taken to their borders.
“That action probably saved Niger State from being the foundation of Boko Haram. As we have come to know, they were regularly visiting the River Niger Bridge. That the federal government would support any governor who has done his homework is not in doubt.”
The Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris Malagi, expressed optimism that once the National Assembly passes the 2024 budget, it will mark a transformative era in the country.
He noted that the budget signified a pivotal step towards the realization of President Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda.
He expressed readiness to support the development of NIPR, of which he is a member too.
