By Bode Olushegun
Borno State Governor, Prof. Babagana Zulum, has approved payment of N13.9 million cash and a car gift to a 65-year old medical doctor from Ogun State, who lived through Boko Haram attack to provide professional services in an insurgency-threatened Borno town.
Dr Isa Akinbode, at the peak of the Boko Haram insurgency, was living within the General Hospital in Monguno and continued to offer healthcare services to patients even when the town was faced with the most severe threats from the terrorist group.
The medical professional, who graduated from the University of Maiduguri, later joined the Borno State Civil Service where he served for 22 years before he retired in 2016 at Monguno General Hospital.
After his retirement, the doctor despite reports that he was once abducted and released by Boko Haram in Monguno, remained at the General hospital in Monguno to offer voluntary medical services.
The former Governor Kashim Shettima, during one of his visits to Monguno, was later to direct officials of the state’s ministry of health to engage the doctor as a contract staff but due to bureaucratic procedures the formalization of the process was delayed.
Akinbode’s dedication was never affected as he continued to offer services in the difficult terrain,
Luck finally smiled on him on Friday, five years later, as Governor Zulum directed that he be paid arrears of N13.9m which accrued since the day his predecessor gave an order for his contract employment.
Zulum also directed that going forward contract should be formalized for monthly entitlements, even as he presented him with a gift of Toyota Highlander.
The governor during the presentation at the Government House, Maiduguri, said: “These (people like Dr Akinbode) are the kinds of people that need to be encouraged; he lives in Monguno despite all the security problems. My predecessor had during his visit to Monguno, directed that he should be engaged on contract basis, unfortunately due to some bureaucratic procedures his reengagement has not been formalized.
“In fulfillment of the promise of my boss, I decided to reengage him on contract basis retrospectively. We are paying all his entitlements, salary in arrears. I am giving him a cheque of N13.9m. I have also approved his reengagement from 2016 being the date of his retirement.”
The governor also has approved the recruitment into the Borno State Civil Service of Dr Akinbode’s daughter, who studied Public Administration at the University of Maiduguri. (Theconclaveng)
