Borno State Governor, Professor Babagana Umara Zulum, has received the new Swiss Ambassador to Nigeria, Mr. Patrick Egloff.
The meeting took place on Wednesday at the Government House in Maiduguri.
The governor thanked the government of Switzerland for its humanitarian assistance, especially the support provided during the 2024 floods that affected Maiduguri and nearby local governments.
He called for increased funding and collaboration in key areas to help victims of the Boko Haram insurgency rebuild their livelihoods and strengthen mediation efforts.
“On behalf of the government and people of Borno State, I wish to extend our appreciation to the Swiss government for its intervention through the Nigeria Humanitarian Fund for emergencies in the North East and the 2024 flood disaster,” Zulum said.
“We look forward to working with you to see how funding can be increased in some critical areas, especially in supporting victims of the Boko Haram insurgency, and how we might collaborate in the field of mediation,” he added.
Zulum said the insurgency in Borno has reduced by 90 percent, noting that over 300,000 insurgents and their families have surrendered in the past four years.
“Borno State is now largely peaceful. Notwithstanding intermittent attacks in some areas, most resettled communities have been able to cultivate their farmlands and their means of livelihood have significantly improved,” he said.
He highlighted the “Borno Model,” a local initiative focused on the demobilization, deradicalization, and reintegration of repentant insurgents, and sought Switzerland’s support in sustaining the program.
Ambassador Egloff said Borno was the first state he had visited since assuming office and praised Governor Zulum’s leadership as “citizen-focused and inspiring.”
“The leadership you provide is extremely important. Your style of governance, with its proximity to the citizens, is very much in line with European models,” Egloff said.
The ambassador was accompanied by the Senior Program Officer at the Swiss Embassy, Aline Burki, and Senior Program Advisor, Ahmed Abdullahi.
