The Borno state Commissioner for Higher Education and aspirant for the house of representatives in 2019, Usman Jaha (Babawo) has defended his decision to distribute kits with shoe polish, bags of oranges and other items to youths in Gwoza as part of his personal welfare programme.
In a statement he released, Usman said he empowered the youths of the area based on their peculiar needs.
Nigerians on social media condemned Usman's choice of empowerment materials immediately the photos surfaced online.
Read part of Usman's statement below
''The programme is my personal effort and it is based on the peculiar needs of the beneficiaries in Gwoza. All communities have their needs and these needs change from time to time. In my years as a politician who served at the Borno State Assembly before becoming a Commissioner, I have always interacted with constituents before making any welfare intervention. I make interventions based on their peculiar needs. There are times people ask for a particular support and we don’t have the liberty of imposing our preferences. We support communities in all sectors that include education, vocational skills and businesses.
There are records. “What do what our people want. I have once seen the picture of a serving Governor from a different part of this country distributing life chickens to citizens and I am sure it was based the peculiarities of needs. A good politician must be conscious of the peculiarities of needs in the communities he or she represents. A politician must be pragmatic and must not shamed of doing what his people want because the people make the politician. What is important to me is the happiness of our people in Gwoza, nothing else really matter”.
