Vice President Kashim Shettima has said President Bola Tinubu’s reform agenda has placed strong emphasis on building enduring institutions, developing human capital and improving the quality of life of Nigerians.
He stressed why sustainable development must outlive the tenure of political officeholders, maintaining that the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Tinubu was designed to ensure that economic reforms deliver lasting social benefits, with investments in essential public services.
Shettima stated this on Friday while commissioning the ultra-modern Kashim Ibrahim University Teaching Hospital (KIUTH) and two schools in Maiduguri, Borno State.
According to his spokesman, Stanley Nkwocha, Shettima described investments in healthcare and education as essential to economic productivity, national development and the recovery of communities affected by insecurity.
He stated that the true measure of public service lain not in the privileges of office but in the institutions established and the opportunities created for future generations.
“Someday, and that day is nearer than we imagine, we shall be judged by what survives our time in office. The offices we held, the aides who surrounded us and the length of our convoys will have surrendered their importance. What will endure are the institutions we built, the roads we constructed and the lives made better because we served,” he said.
Commending Borno State Governor Babagana Zulum for prioritising healthcare and education, Shettima said the newly commissioned facilities demonstrated how purposeful investments could translate into practical benefits for citizens.
He noted that the teaching hospital would bring specialised healthcare closer to communities, reduce the burden of travelling outside the state for treatment and strengthen medical training and research.
“For a family already burdened by illness, the cost and anxiety of travelling outside the state can compound their suffering. This hospital offers the prospect of expert attention nearer home,” he said.
On education, the Vice President observed that rebuilding schools in communities affected by insurgency was fundamental to restoring hope, expanding opportunities and preparing the next generation for productive participation in the economy.
“In a state whose communities have endured the disruption of insurgency, a classroom carries a particular significance. It restores the expectation that tomorrow can be planned for,” Shettima stated.
Drawing from his experience as a former Governor of Borno State, the Vice President acknowledged the challenges of delivering development amid insecurity and praised Governor Zulum’s determination to sustain investment in critical public infrastructure.
“To improve lives and livelihoods in a state that has withstood such a climate of insecurity demands uncommon fortitude. I know the weight of that responsibility. As the street language goes, I have been there and done that,” he said.
He conveyed President Tinubu’s felicitations to the government and people of Borno State, and reaffirmed the Federal Government’s commitment to supporting the state’s reconstruction, peacebuilding and human capital development efforts.
“Our investment in human capital proceeds from the conviction that a healthier, better educated population can produce more, earn more and contribute more. The Federal Government will continue to support Borno’s efforts to consolidate peace, rebuild communities and expand opportunities for its people,” he said.
The Vice President noted that Borno’s reconstruction experience offered valuable lessons in rebuilding communities emerging from conflict, particularly through the restoration of essential public institutions.
He commended the state government, healthcare professionals, educators, contractors, development partners and security personnel for their efforts.
