Borno State Governor, Babagana Zulum, has reiterated his administration’s commitment to creating more jobs and expanding vocational training opportunities for youths and women as part of efforts to tackle unemployment and poverty in the state.

Zulum made the pledge on Saturday while receiving the Shehu of Borno, Abubakar Ibn Umar Garbai El-Kanemi, who paid him a Sallah homage at the Government House in Maiduguri.

The Sallah visit is a longstanding tradition of the Borno Emirate Council, symbolising respect and solidarity between the traditional institution and the state government.

Welcoming the monarch and his entourage, the governor said his administration, in collaboration with the State Executive Council, would intensify efforts to empower young people through massive job creation and skills acquisition programmes.

“My administration will continue to harness human and capital resources to create more job opportunities and provide vocational training to accommodate the teeming youths of our state,” he said.

Zulum also appealed to the monarch to sustain prayers for what he described as enduring peace and stability in Borno State and the country at large. He assured the Shehu of the government’s continued support for the traditional institution, which he described as closest to the grassroots.

The governor further disclosed that efforts were ongoing to connect the remaining Local Government Areas to the national grid to improve electricity supply, particularly in rural and border communities with Niger, Chad, and Cameroon.

He commended the Shehu for his resilience and leadership, especially for remaining in his palace during the peak of the insurgency.

In his remarks, the Shehu said the Sallah homage would continue as a key tradition of the emirate to celebrate with the government and people of the state.

“This visit is part of our longstanding tradition to identify with the government and the good people of Borno during festive periods,” he said.

The monarch also acknowledged the developmental strides of the Zulum administration and urged the government to sustain efforts in youth empowerment, job creation, and security of lives and property.

He was accompanied by senior members of the Borno Emirate Council, including the Waziri of Borno, Alhaji Mutawalli Shettima Bukar, the Chief Imam, Imam Idaini, and other traditional title holders.

Meanwhile, Governor Zulum also received Sallah homage from delegations from the University of Maiduguri, Kashim Ibrahim College of Education, Al-Ansar University, and the Federal Neuropsychiatric Hospital, Maiduguri.

The delegations congratulated the governor on the successful completion of Ramadan and commiserated with him over the recent bomb blast in Maiduguri.

Responding, Zulum expressed appreciation for the visits and reaffirmed his administration’s support for Federal Government institutions operating in the state.