Boko Haram: NURTW to build school for 700 orphans in Maiduguri

The Borno State chapter of the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW), has appealed to the state government to assist in building a school for 700 children orphaned in the last 10 years in the state.
Borno NURTW chairman Alhaji Bello Muhammad, stated this in an interview with newsmen in Maiduguri.
Mohammed said that the union had already secured a plot of land for the construction of the school in Maiduguri.
He said that the orphans were children of the union members in Maiduguri, who died in either motor accidents or as a result of suspected Boko Haram attacks.
Mohammed explained that the union had enrolled some of them in Islamic schools in the metropolis and added that many were still left out.

He said that building a school in a particular area would provide a lasting solution as all affected children would be covered.
“This is necessary as it would assist them to become productive members of the society rather than resort to begging or child labor”, Mohammed said.

He pointed out that about 83 commercial vehicles were burnt in seperate suspected Boko Haram attacks involving members of the union in the last three months in different communities of Kayamla, Baga, Damboa, Ngom and Benisheik.
“In most cases, the drivers of the vehicles were either killed or abducted by the insurgents. This is because they were always on the road conveying travellers to various destinations”, he said.
The NURTW boss added that “some of the drivers have four wives and 15 children; when they died, suddenly it became our responsibility to take care of the children.
“Every park you go, you will see more than 2000 jobless people”.
According to him, more than 12000 members of the union were jobless and urged the state government to also initiate a transport scheme that would provide jobs for them.
DailyPost reports that the union had registered over 40,000 members in the state.