Vice President Yemi Osinbajo on Thursday paid a visit to the Special School for children orphaned by the Boko Haram insurgency, in Maiduguri.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the school project was initiated and managed by a Non- governmental Organisation (NGO), North-East Children’s Trust.

Hundreds of colourfully dressed and elated pupils welcomed the vice president to the school.

Osinbajo, who was on a one-day visit to the state, inspected facilities and interacted with pupils, teachers and non-teaching staff of the school.

The vice president, who was accompanied by Gov. Kashim Shettima, expressed satisfaction with progress and improved condition of the pupils of the school.

VP Osinbajo; Senior Special Assistant on Internally Displaced Persons, Dr. Mariam Masha (2nd right) with staff and students of Children Learning Centre, Maiduguri.

The Executive Secretary of the organisation, Dr Maryam Masha, said the school was established to cater for the education and welfare of the children orphaned by the insurgency in the state.

Masha disclosed that the school was running an integrated system of education and entrepreneurial skills to impart relevant knowledge and skills to the pupils.

“We have innovation programmes to teach the pupils computer literacy, farm skills, crop, fishery and livestock production.

“The programmes also include farming, carpentry, dyeing, tailoring, jelly and perfume processing.

“It is a deliberate idea to expose the pupils to various trades to enable them to become productive and self reliant,”she said.

According to her, the school has about 320 pupils selected from the 27 local government areas of the state.

Osinbajo with some staff of the school

Statistics of the Borno State Government shows that over 53,000 children were orphaned by the Boko Haram insurgency in the state.

The government had embarked on construction of 22 mega school projects to accommodate the orphans in the state.

NAN also reports that Osibanjo was accompanied by the Minister of Defence; Mansur Dan-Ali; Senators Ali Ndume and Abu Kyari, representing Borno South and North, and Borno Deputy Governor, Alhaji Usman Durkwa.

Others were the Theatre Commander, Operation Lafiya Dole, Maj. Gen. Rogers Nicholas; General Officer Commanding 7 Division, Brig. Gen. Abdulmalik Biu; Borno Commissioner of Police; Mr Damian Chukwu and other senior government officials,