Governors Zulum and Buni visit Hiroshima to study Japan's post-devastation recovery programme

GOVERNORS Babagana Zulum and Mai-Mala Buni of Borno and Yobe States are currently undertaking a study tour of Japan to observe how Hiroshima recovered from the 1945 atomic bomb attacks which left the city devastated.

In the first such visit of its type, the two governors, whose states have been devastated by terrorism, have visited Japan to see how it recovered from the destruction of World War Two. In 1945, Hiroshima and Nagasaki were flattened when atomic bombs Little Boy and Fat Man were dropped on them, while operation Meetinghouse, the bombing of Tokyo on March 9 and 10 1945, is the single most destructive raid in human history.

Despite the devastation that was visited upon Japan by the US during World War Two, the country quickly recovered and shortly established itself as the second largest economy on earth.  It appears that Governors Zulum and Buni have gone to see how they can learn from this and revive the economies of their states in the wake of terrorist devastation.

Since 2009, Boko Haram has been waging a war against the Nigerian state, seeking to establish an Islamist theocracy in the northwest of the country. Along with its offshoot, Islamic State in West African Province, the terrorist sect has laid waste large swathes of northwest Nigeria, totally destroying the economy of the region.

During their tour coordinated by the United Nations Development Programme and the Japanese International Corporation Agency (Jica), the two governors were accompanied by a representative of the Adamawa State government. It is believed that the Hiroshima experience would contribute to fast-tracking the peace-building and recovery processes in the three states.

Governor Buni said areas of interest to his state included education, agriculture, humanitarian and livelihood support, as well as youth empowerment and skills acquisition. Duting the visit, the delegation also held discussions with the Japan-Nigeria Parliamentary Friendship League and paid courtesy visits on the Jica vice president, the deputy governor of Hiroshima city and the Nigerian ambassador to Japan.