Governor Babagana Zulum of Borno State says countries in the west have shown more concern for people amid the Boko Haram insurgency than rich Arab nations.
Zulum spoke on Tuesday in Maiduguri when he received the Palestinian Ambassador to Nigeria, Saleh Fheied Saleh.
He said over the years, Borno received humanitarian support from Europe, Canada, the United Kingdom, the United States, Japan and other countries.
“They have demonstrated concern and have made efforts to support our traumatized citizens in many ways especially on food, medicals and livelihoods.
“However, that level of concern never came from Arab countries with whom millions of Borno people share similarity in religion and culture. We have indigenous Shuwa Arabs in Borno, this shows how our histories are tied.
“We have made severe efforts, written and visited embassies of Arab countries, especially those that are rich and not dealing with crises, but the majority do not care about our situation, neither do they support us,” he said.
The Governor thanked Palestine for its solidarity with the State.
The envoy told Zulum that his country had concluded plans to support the Borno government in some areas.
“There are a lot of Palestinian companies in Nigeria, they are willing to work with the Borno State Government. We are ready to cooperate with you, we are ready to help in anything you want us to do”, Saleh said.
He added that many Nigerians currently reside in Palestine, particularly Borno indigenes.
Saleh disclosed that some have served the government, including Fatima Barnawi, a former minister and police chief.
