Monguno Local Government Area in Borno State, currently under the serious threats of Boko Haram insurgency in recent years, has entered news again for good reason.
Borno State Governor, Professor Babagana Umara Zulum who hails from Monguno, has not visited the area for years now, which is in the north-eastern part of the state,
133 Kilometres from Maiduguri city.
However, a 65-year old medical doctor from Ogun State lived within the General Hospital, Monguno, and continued to offer health-care services to patients from the area.
Isa Akinbode, an Ogun-born medical doctor graduated from the University of Maiduguri joined the Borno State Civil Service and served for 22 years before he retired in 2016.
After his retirement, the medical doctor who was abducted and released by Boko Haram in Monguno, remained at the General Hospital, Monguno to offer voluntary medical services.
During one his visits to Monguno, the then Governor Kashim Shettima directed officials of the state’s ministry of health to engage Akinbode as a contract staffer.
Owing to bureaucratic procedures, officials at the state ministry of health in Maiduguri delayed to formalize the doctor’s contract appointment, even though he continued to serve.
Five years later, Governor Zulum on Friday, February 12, directed payment of N13.9 million arrears to Dr. Akinbode based on the terms of the contract as directed by the out-gone governor in 2016.
Zulum also directed formalization of his contract for monthly entitlements and donated a Toyota Highlander to him for his services to Borno people.
“These (people like Dr Akinbode) are the kinds of people that need to be encouraged, he lives in Monguno despite all the security problems.
”My predecessor had during his visit to Monguno, directed that he should be engaged on contract basis. Unfortunately due to some bureaucratic procedures his reengagement has not been formalized. In fulfillment of the promise of my boss, I decided to re-engage him on contract basis retrospectively.
”We are paying all his entitlements salary in arrears. I am giving him a cheque of N13.9m. I have also approved his reengagement from 2016 being the date of his retirement,” Zulum said.
In further reciprocation, the Governor directed employment of Akinbode’s daughter, who studied Public Administration at the University of Maiduguri, into the Borno State civil service.
