Borno State Governor Babagana Zulum has pledged closer cooperation with the federal government and development partners to improve healthcare in the state, alongside a 100 million naira state donation toward a book chronicling the tenure of University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital chief medical director Ahmed Ahidjo.
Zulum made the announcements in Maiduguri at the opening of the Association of Radiologists of Nigeria’s ninth annual conference, where he also commissioned a fertility care centre and an en suite maternity complex built with support from the North East Development Commission. He said the expansion mattered greatly for a state still recovering from years of insurgency and more recent flooding, both of which strained public institutions and health services.
He promised continued state backing for the teaching hospital and other federal health institutions in Borno, while stressing that lasting improvement will depend on stronger cooperation between state and federal authorities, development agencies and professional bodies. He praised the hospital’s progress under Ahidjo’s leadership in infrastructure, specialist care, medical training and research, telling hospital leadership they are building a legacy for generations to come.
The newly commissioned fertility and maternity facilities are expected to widen access to reproductive and maternal care for Borno and neighbouring states, part of a broader push to rebuild health infrastructure in a region where years of conflict have taken a heavy toll on public services. Zulum thanked President Bola Tinubu for federal support to Borno’s healthcare and human capital development, and commended the Development Commission for its work across the North East.
The event drew Borno’s deputy governor, the Shehu of Borno, a senator representing Borno South, lawmakers, federal ministers, health ministry representatives, traditional rulers and the Development Commission’s managing director, among other dignitaries.
