Plans have been made for President Goodluck Jonathan to pay visits to Borno and Yobe States on Thursday.
The two North-Eastern states have been the most affected by the Boko Haram insurgency of the past three years with thousands of lives lost and public and private property worth hundreds of millions destroyed. This has halted economic activities in the region and ruined the social fabric holding the states together.
However, this visit would be the first of the president to either of the states since the start of the insurgency. Until the visit of Vice-President Namadi Sambo to Borno State two weeks ago, no top Presidency official had visited either of the states, leading the people of the states to accuse the Jonathan administration of insensitivity to their plights.
This was why the people were elated when 10 Alliance for Progressive Change (APC) Governors visited last week in solidarity and sympathy walked over a kilometre through the Maiduguri Monday Market, an economic centre before the insurgency, devoid of security where they shook hands and discussed with traders.
Even though the APC Governors collectively donated two hundred million naira to the two States, what really touched the people was the courage of the Governors and show of solidarity with the beleaguered people.
A resident of Maiduguri, Alhaji Babagana Aisami, praised the “singular courage of the Governors” whose visit he rated as better than that of Vice-President Sambo, for whom the whole town was locked down, causing losses for taxi drivers, artisans, traders, etc.
Another resident, Hajiya Maira Budum, the visit of the Governors definitely put pressure on the President “who has all along given us the step child treatment” but, she added, “will the visit be worth it, done because someone has done it?”
But Malam Bomoi Adamu, a resident of Potiskum, a town in Yobe, where three North Korean Medical Doctors were slaughtered about a month ago, and countless houses burnt, was optimistic that the President’s visit may be a cause for many who have lost loved ones and properties to get compensation.
“Didn’t you see what happened at Madalla when the President visited after the Christmas bombing or when he went to Bayelsa after the flood disaster? We look forward to his visit”, he said with a smile
The people are now waiting to see if the visit of the President would be the same as that of his Vice-President or would even be better than that of the APC governors.