Gov. kashim Shettima
Governor Kashim Shettima of Borno State yesterday extolled the virtues of the late Northeast Correspondent of the Voice of America (VOA), Hajiya Sa’adatu Mohammed Fawu, regretting that the state has not only lost an outstanding journalist and good sister but also a good ambassador.
Fawu, who hailed from Gombe State, died in Abuja early Wednesday after a protracted illness.
She was before her death assigned by VOA to report health and related issues in the Northeast, with Maiduguri, the Borno State capital, as her base.
The Governor, who mourned the late VOA Correspondent in a statement issued by his Media Aide, Isa Gusau, disclosed that he was deeply touched by Fawu’s death, describing it “as the loss of not just an outstanding journalist but also the loss of a good sister and a good ambassador of Borno State.”
The statement reads in part, “I came in contact with Hajiya Sa’adatu about six years ago when I was Commissioner for Health in Borno State while she was covering health issues for the Voice of America. Sa’adatu was always very passionate about the health and well being of citizens of Borno.”
“She showed extreme concerns at every point over any health challenge whether an outbreak or existing issue that affected the well being of Borno citizens especially women and children. She was always passionate about the functionality of the health sector in Borno State which was why she regularly reported matters of concerns that aroused from her interactions with members of the public directly to my office whether as Commissioner of Health in those days or as a Governor in recent time and on many occasions.”
Noting that the late journalist offered “good and selfless suggestions to me with the sole aim of advancing healthcare in Borno,” Shettima said: “I so much valued her passion for the health sector so much that as a Governor, I gave serious considerations to her views regarding the health sector in Borno State and our numerous programmes.
“Her great interest and outstanding reports on the health were sources of inspiration to me as someone that shares her area of strong interest.”
“I therefore consider her demise not just a big loss to her family and the Voice of America but indeed a personal loss and a loss to Borno State Government. Borno State and its people will forever be appreciative of Sa’adatu’s contributions to the advancement of Healthcare delivery in the State.”
The Governor, while describing the deceased Correspondent as a unionist who would be missed by lots of people including her colleagues that she tried to better their lot, prayed for the repose of her soul.
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