The family of a Borno State-based medical doctor who was abducted by the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) terror group has benefitted from a housing scheme for doctors in the state.
Dr Bulama Gaidam, currently under the captivity of ISWAP, was abducted on Wednesday, March 16, 2022 in Gubio, where he was serving as Principal Medical Officer of the general hospital.
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Borno State governor, Professor Babagana Umara Zulum, penultimate week handed over 81 units of three-bedroom apartments along with cheques worth a total of N79m to 81 resident medical doctors in the state.
Each of the doctors was given a tastefully built flat at the estate specifically built for doctors in 13 blocks of two-storey buildings with each block having six flats. The quarters, located in Maiduguri were fenced, landscaped, flowered, and provided with sporting facilities and playground.
The 13 blocks at the quarters have a combined number of 78 flats, while another storey building sited at Muhammadu Shuwa Memorial Hospital has three additional flats, making 81.
Daily Trust learnt that two out of the 81 flats were fully furnished, while 79 were yet to be furnished.
However, Zulum presented a cheque of the sum of N1 million as furniture support to each of the 79 doctors who were allocated the 79 flats.
Governor Zulum handed over keys of one of the two fully furnished flats to the wife of the abducted doctor, while consoling her.
He strengthened her hope that one day she would be reunited with her husband.
The governor assured all the 81 doctors who benefitted from the scheme that government will make some efforts to support them in powering a standby generator installed for the quarters.
He, however, urged the doctors to form a residents’ association through which they can make contributions to find ways of sustaining facilities at the estate, and enhancing their communal safety.
He also promised that more doctors who were not among the 81 beneficiaries will be supported in other ways.
It would be recalled that the doctors’ quarters were commissioned by Vice President Yemi Osinbajo on February 24, 2022, after which modalities were put in place for consultative selection and allocation to benefitting doctors.
The VP commissioned the flats while in Maiduguri to launch Borno’s edition of the federal government’s Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME) Clinic.
Meanwhile, during his hand-over of the 81 flats and cheques to the medical doctors, Governor Zulum directed the provision of two buses for permanent stationing at the quarters for transporting them to hospitals for healthcare services.
In their response, a representative of the medical doctors pledged that they would reciprocate the gesture by improving their medical services to patients at their respective hospitals.
