Wife of the President, Mrs Aisha Buhari, has commenced the construction of Aisha Buhari Foundation Orphanage and School in Maiduguri.
Foundation of the project was laid by the Deputy Governor of Borno State, Alhaji Usman Mamman Dirkwa on Tuesday.
A statement by the Director of Information in the Office of the Wife of the President, Mr. Suleiman Haruna, has disclosed.
According to the statement, copy of which was sent to The DEFENDER, project, when completed, will provide basic necessities of life for orphans to afford them a chance to grow up into normal adulthood. It will also provide shelter, educational and health facilities as well as income generating activities, the statement said.
Mrs. Buhari, who was represented at the event by a Senior Special Assistant to the President, Dr. Hajo Sani, had consistently called for more humanitarian action in the North East, matching her words with action with the commencement of the project.
“This project is borne out of my passion of improving the living condition of victims of conflicts and other humanitarian crises, particularly, children,” Aisha Buhari said in her address read by Dr. Sani.
She also used the opportunity to appreciate the concern, love and philanthropy shown by well-meaning Nigerians and organizations towards the IDPs and urged them to do more. She singled out the Governor of Borno State, Alhaji Kashim Shettima, for exhibiting high-level of political will and providing an enabling environment for all humanitarian actors both local and international.
Mrs Buhari also spoke glowingly of the people of Borno State, whose resilience, spirit of brotherhood and high sense of neighbourliness had considerably reduced the impact of the displacement on the IDPs, adding that it was worthy of emulation by not only Nigerians but by the whole of humanity.
Deputy Governor of Borno State, Alhaji Usman Mamman Dirkwa, appreciated the commitment of Mrs Buhari and prayed God to strengthen her.
He also promised that Borno State would continue to provide an enabling environment for humanitarian organisations to operate.
On their part, two young IDPs were full of praises for Mrs Buhari, who they see as a champion and a vanguard.
“She has done a lot for the IDPs. She has been at the forefront of assisting us and reminding others to do the same. Today, water and food are no longer challenges at the IDP camps,” said a young IDP.
