As Arab leads Borno’s health sector… Six Professors now in Zulum’s administration
Six professors now in Zulum’s administration as 19 commissioners deployed
With Monday’s deployment of 19 commissioners to various ministries in Borno State, a total of six professors currently serve in Governor Babagana Umara Zulum’s administration.
The latest addition is Professor MohammedArabAlhajiwhowasdeployed as Commissioner for Health, making him the first professor (at least since 1999) to head Borno’s healthcare sector.
The governor on Monday presided over the swearing-in of the commissioners held at the overhauled International Conference Centre of the Musa Usman (workers) Secretariat in Maiduguri.
Zulum had nominated 20, but the State Assembly cleared all the 19 who appeared before it; while the remaining nominee, Zuwaira Gambo, was out of the country for an official engagement at the time her colleagues appeared before the lawmakers.
The Secretary to the State Government, Usman Jidda Shuwa, shortly after the swearing-in, released deployments of the 19 commissioners as directed by the governor.
Deployed to the Ministry of Health as commissioner was Professor Mohammed Arab Alhaji, a medical doctor, specializes in gastroenterology, paediatrics, hepatology and nutrition. He headed the Paediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition/ Infectious Diseases Specialist Clinics at the University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital (UMTH).
Governor Zulum had, in September 2020, appointed Arab as Chief Medical Director of the Borno State Hospital Management Board before recently appointing him as Borno’s first Professor-Commissioner for Health.
Professor Arab was a resident doctor in Ibadan and Kaduna. He had served in more than 20 technical committees and as facilitator/investigator to several government and non-governmental organizations (NGOs)’s programmes associated with the Federal Ministry of Health, the Borno State Government, the World Health Organization (WHO), the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), the Alliance for International Medical Action (ALIMA), among others.
With Arab Alhaji as Commissioner for Health, there are now six professors working with Governor Zulum.
These professors, all from the University of Maiduguri, include Professor Isa Marte Hussaini, who is the Chief of Staff to the Governor.
Marte, a professor of Pharmacy, was previously appointed Commissioner for Higher Education in 2019 before his elevation to Chief of Staff in August 2020 following the death of Dr Babagana Wakil, who was then the Chief of Staff.
Professor Hauwa Biu is the chairman of Borno State Education Trust Fund. Biu is a professor of Education.
Professor Bulama Kagu is the chairman of the Borno State
Universal Basic Education Board appointed by Zulum in October 2021. He is a professor of Education.
Zulum also works with two professors he nominated to contest chairmanship elections under the administration. They are Professors Adamu Alooma and Ibrahim Bukar. They contested chairmanship under the APC in 2020 and won.
Alooma is professor of Banking and Finance and is the incumbent chairman of Damboa Local Government Area in southern Borno.
Bukar is a professor of Education and is the chairman of Gwoza Local Government Area also in southern Borno.