Post Insurgency Recovery: Zulum in Baga Ferries 20km Across Lake Chad Over Agriculture, Border Trade

Post insurgency Recovery: Zulum in Baga ferries 20km across Lake Chad over agriculture, border trade

By Madu Mohammed,, Maiduguri

To fast track post insurgency economic recovery and food security, the Borno State Governor, Prof. Babagana Zulum has ferried over 20km on Baga side of the Lake Chad Basin to assess how to improve irrigation farming, fishing activities and criss border trade.

zero travelled to Baga on Monday, was to assess portions of the Lake Chad towards his administration’s plan to enhance agricultural activities along the shores of the basin and to also increase avenues for trans-border trade between people living on the Nigerian side and those from Chad and Niger.

It could be recalled the Lake Chad Basin is the largest economic basin in Africa, it spans four nations including Nigeria, Niger, Chad and Cameroon used to be irrigation farming and fishing hub where alot of economic activities thrives but was truncated as a result of over a decade Boko Haram insurgency.

Governor Zulum visit was to asses the agricultural activities picking up along the Lake Chad shores, the returning communities hitherto depending on Government support and humanitarian aid would have sources of livelihood.

“We are here to see how we can support large-scale farming, this town was ravaged by the insurgents and people were resettled back about last two or three years. So, in order to provide a means of livelihood to the people we have to exploit the potentials of the Lake Chad, Zulum said.

Zulum further explained that, “Our first objective is to see how we can support the army and the navy to clear the waterways so that movement by boat from Baga to Chad can commence which will enhance trans border trade and agriculture”.

The Governor was accompanied by the member representing Kukawa at the State Assembly, Kirta Maina Ma’aji, MD Chad Basin Development Authority, Engr Abba Garba, the Borno State Commissioner for Local Government and Emirate Affair, Sugun Mai Mele, that of Agriculture, Engr Bawu Musami, MD Borno State Rural Water Supply and Sanitation Agency, Engr Mohammed Musa Aliyu and members of the Borno State Agricultural Transformation Committee.

Also during the visit, , Governor Zulum approved the construction of a new mega-size higher Islamic College in Baga town, Kukawa Local Government.

The over 2,000 students capacity High Islamic College will combine traditional Islamic Education with literacy and numeracy, Digital and vocational education.

On completion, the Higher Islamic College would admit students with vast Qur’anic knowledge from traditional Islamiya schools.

“The essence of building the High Islamic College is to streamline the non-formal education to the formal education sector” Zulum said.

Before leaving Baga, the Governor Zulum visited Baga Central Primary School where he once organized an impromptu aptitude test for teachers to asses their eligibility.