Vice-President Kashim Shettima has commissioned the Kashim Ibrahim University Teaching Hospital in Maiduguri, alongside other major projects executed by the Borno State Government to expand access to quality healthcare and strengthen medical education in the North-East.
The hospital, delivered by the administration of Governor Babagana Zulum, is expected to provide specialized medical services to residents of Borno and neighbouring states, reducing the need for patients to travel outside the region for advanced diagnosis and treatment.
Equipped with modern diagnostic technology, the facility has a 1.5-tesla magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scanner, a 160-slice computed tomography (CT) scanner, three conventional and two mobile X-ray machines, three 4D ultrasound machines, a fluoroscopy system and digital mammography equipment.
The hospital also features 13 specialist departments providing diagnostic, medical, surgical, emergency, paediatric, internal medicine and physiotherapy services, among others.
Supporting infrastructure includes a medical college complex, students’ hostel, a 200-unit staff estate and an oxygen plant complex, designed to enhance patient care, medical training and healthcare delivery.
Beyond providing specialist treatment, the institution is expected to strengthen the training of doctors, nurses and allied health professionals, helping to address healthcare workforce shortages in Borno State and the wider North-East.
Speaking during the commissioning ceremony, Shettima commended Zulum for investing in institutions that would deliver lasting benefits to the people, particularly in healthcare and education.
He said the true measure of public service was the quality of institutions established, infrastructure delivered and lives improved, rather than the privileges associated with political office.
“We shall be judged by what survives our time in office. The offices we held, the aides who surrounded us, and the length of our convoys will have surrendered their importance.
“What will endure are the institutions we built, the roads we built and the lives we improved through service. That is the meaning of our gathering here in Maiduguri. That is why this occasion brings me such joy,” the Vice-President said.
Shettima noted that the teaching hospital and schools established across the state reflected Zulum’s commitment to rebuilding Borno through investments that directly improve people’s lives.
He also cited the passage of time as a reminder of the importance of building institutions that outlast political tenures.
According to him, the hospital and the schools being established across Maiduguri and other parts of Borno demonstrated the governor’s belief that recovery from years of insurgency must translate into tangible improvements in healthcare and access to education.
“The ultra-modern Kashim Ibrahim University Teaching Hospital and the school that dotted our landscape in Maiduguri and across the state give substance to his belief that Borno recovery must reach the patient awaiting treatment and the child sitting in a place in the classroom,” Shettima said.
In the education sector, the Vice-President also commissioned Yerwa Practice Mega Primary School and another mega primary school established under the Kashim Shettima Free Education Program.
The program provides free education for orphans and vulnerable children and remains one of Shettima’s key education initiatives.
The projects form part of the Borno State Government’s strategy to link post-conflict recovery with investments in essential public services, particularly healthcare and education.
For a state still grappling with the long-term consequences of insurgency, expanding access to specialised medical services and strengthening institutions responsible for training healthcare professionals remain central to rebuilding public infrastructure and improving living conditions.
The new teaching hospital is expected to advance these efforts by bringing modern diagnostic facilities, specialist treatment, and medical education together under one institution.
