Michael Olugbode in Maiduguri
A teacher, Mrs. Obiageri Mazi, who was met at her duty post as early as 6 a.m. about two years ago when Borno State Governor, Prof. Babagana Zulum, paid an unscheduled visit to her school, is among the 24 primary school teachers allocated houses at the newly built quarters for teachers in the state.
Mrs. Mazi, who hails from Abia State and has been a teacher at the Shehu Sanda Kyarimi 2 Primary School under the Jere Local Government Education Authorities for 31 years, after the governor’s visit, was promoted from a class teacher to the rank of Assistant Headmistress, as an executive reward for her punctuality.
Zulum, a professor, had visited the school around 6 a.m. as part of his unscheduled supervision, and he was amazed that Mazi was already at the school that early morning awaiting the arrival of her pupils.
The governor on the spot gave her N100,000 cash and approved her immediate promotion.
Obiageli was again rewarded when her name came up among the 24 school teachers allocated flats at a newly unveiled quarters built by Zulum’s administration in Maiduguri.
The quarter was inaugurated by President Muhaammadu Buhari some weeks ago when he visited Maiduguri for the 2022 World Humanitarian Day.
The teachers’ quarters at Bulumkutu on the airport road is one of the over 600 capital projects delivered by Zulum.
The state government allocated the fully furnished 24 units of the houses to primary school teachers from Maiduguri and Jere Local Education Authorities (LEA) during a brief ceremony last Wednesday at the quarters.
The state Commissioner for Education, Lawan Abba Wakilbe, while handing over the houses to the beneficiaries, disclosed that the state government has constructed similar houses in Banki Town of Bama Local Government Area and Mafa, adding that Zulum’s administration will extend such projects to other LGAs in order to provide accommodation for hardworking teachers in the LGAs.
The commissioner further added that beneficiaries were selected based on merit from different schools within the vicinity of the quarters. He charged teachers to take good care of the facility as it is an institutional property.
Meanwhile, the state Commissioner for Housing and Energy, Yuguda Vungas, whose ministry constructed the quarters, while handing over the keys to the Commissioner for Education, Lawan Abba Wakilbe, for onward allocation to teachers, disclosed that the houses consisted of 12 units each of fully furnished two bedrooms, a sitting room, a kitchen and two self-contained toilets, while 12 other houses are fully furnished one bedroom, a parlour, kitchen and toilet.
The Executive Chairman, Teaching Service Board (TSB), Prof Suleiman Bello; Executive Chairman of State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB), Prof. Bulama Kagu; Chairman, Nigerian Union of Teachers (NUT), Borno State, Jibrin Mohammed, the immediate-past Deputy National Chairman NUT, Bulama Abiso, took turns to commend Prof Zulum’s policies and programmes to enhance teachers’ welfare and the need to re-dedicate themselves to their duties.
