The Governor of Borno State Kashim Shettima, on Wednesday said the people of the state were given the dividends of democracy when President Muhammadu Buhari won last year’s general election and anyone who comes to tell them otherwise should be stoned.He said this at the commencement of the distribution of relief materials in Maiduguri by the National Logistics committee on Distribution of relief materials following the instruction of the federal government disclosed that all the goods seized by the Nigerian Customs would be distributed to Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs),
Shettima said:
“The politicians who left us to our troubles in the last five years only to come back when peace has returned to the state to tell us that Jonathan’s administration was better than the present should be stoned just like the Satan is stoned at the Kaaba.”
Earlier, the Presidential Committee on the Distribution of Relief Materials to the IDPs, said that the goods seized by the Nigerian Customs would be distributed to mostly the persons returning to the liberated towns in parts of the North-east.
The Chairman of the Committee, ACG Sanusi Usman, disclosed this yesterday when he led other members to visit the Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Lt-Gen. Tukur Buratai, at the Military Command and Control Centre (MCC), Maiduguri, Borno State.
He said: “It was proposed that all the seized goods should be distributed to the IDPs. The purpose is to ensure that this platform created by the President is well distributed to the affected areas and not only to the IDPs but mostly to the villages so that the people can go back to their villages.
“We have found out from our experience from the visit to Yobe State that there is no need to concentrate on the IDPs but mostly to the villages as most of them are increasingly returning to their communities. Its in this state that many saw the devastation of Boko Haram and were moved.
“We assure that these products ceased will be distributed accordingly as we have done in Adamawa and some to Edo State. In Yobe State, we went to Buni Yadi where live is returning to normal. Borno State is very significant because we have about 10 border posts,” he added.
Buratai in his response, commended the federal government for what he described as the ‘laudable initiative to make this available for the affected people’.
“These are people that have been displaced by Boko Haram for a long time and this approach will help them settle back to their villages. This will also assist the military in our operations as when people settle down it will help us to quickly move to the other areas of operation.
“So far, the distribution has been going on smoothly and it will encourage people to go back to their hamlets and villages. Also, the issues of medical supply will be useful to them as well as building materials that will make them to settle down quickly. I commend President Muhammadu Buhari for all he is doing to ensure that Boko Haram menace is brought to an end,” he said.