The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, established by the world’s richest man, Mr. Bill Gates has granted special appeal by Governor Kashim Shettima to accord accelerated support to Borno State and the rest of the northeast on primary healthcare and agriculture.
Bill and Melinda foundation is world’s number one private body supporting global eradication of polio and other child killer diseases and also supporting the Nitrogen for Africa project which is designed to ensure high yields in agriculture through soil technology and fertilizer improvement.
The meeting was a sideline as the Governors were mainly in Washington for the symposium on counter insurgency during which Shettima was scheduled to make presentations on security conditions in Borno and prospects.
Governor Shettima and his Bauchi State counterpart, Malam Isa Yuguda were at the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation headquarters in Washington D.C on Sunday for a meeting that lasted three hours and was chaired by the foundation’s President on Global Development, Dr. Chris Elias with the participation of other top officials of the foundation as well as representatives of the World Health Organisation (WHO), and UNICEF among other stakeholders.
Shettima, while speaking at the meeting, made a strong appeal for the foundation to step-up support for Borno due to the State’s challenges as well as Government’s efforts on primary healthcare which was applauded by the foundation during its 2013 review of efforts by Nigerian Governments across the six geo-political zones.
He also appealed for Borno’s inclusion in the foundation’s Nitrogen fixation project that is aimed at supporting high yield in farming activities through a technology that improves soil fertility.
In his response at the end of the review meeting that placed emphasis on progresses, challenges and risks on global polio eradication, Dr. Chris Elias made commitment that the foundation will step-up support to Borno State.
Elias also commended the leadership qualities of Governor Shettima which resulted in the progresses recorded by his Government on primary healthcare.
It would be recalled that the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation had in 2013 elected Governor Kashim Shettima as the most committed Governor in the northeast on the area of primary healthcare while the World Health Organisation equally singled out Borno and awarded its Government for enhancing healthcare delivery.
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