Governor Babagana Zulum giving money to IDPs in Gwoza during a three day humanitarian visit to the area.
•Borno gov’t to build additional 750 homes for IDPs
Almost four years after the Nigerian Armed Forces retook Gwoza local government area in Borno state from Boko Haram terrorists, farming, social and economic activities remain low and unstable in the area.
The area laying within Southern Borno is still witnessing heavy military operations aimed to keep the Islamic terrorists away, the federal government owned radio reports.
Schools and other public institutions destroyed in the carnage of the war between the terrorists and government forces are yet to be rehabilitated.
“Though liberated, farming, social and economic activities still remained unstable in the areas as there is ongoing military operations to forestall occasional threats from the insurgents”, Radio Nigeria reports on Wednesday, January 1.
Governor of Borno state, Professor Babagana Zulum was on a-three day visit to the area to render humanitarian services at Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) camps.
During the visit, Governor Zulum commissioned projects and supervised the distribution of 55,000 bags and cartons of food items to over 16,000 displaced and vulnerable persons in the local government area.
Gwoza, located between parts of the Sambisa Forest and Mandara Mountains, fell to Boko Haram in 2014 and served as headquarters of the insurgents with their vicious spiritual leader, Abubakar Shekau once operating from the town, before it was liberated by the military.
Zulum was from Sunday to Tuesday in Gwoza town, Pulka and Ngoshe towns, all populated by displaced and vulnerable residents in Gwoza LGA.
The food distributed by the Governor comprised of 10,000 bags of 25kg rice and 10,000 gallons of vegetable oil provided by the Borno State Government.
Also distributed were 15,000 bags of processed maize, 15,000 bags of beans, and 5,000 gallons of oil provided by the Northeast Development Commission, whose managing director, Mohammed Goni Alkali was part of the Governor’s trip to Gwoza.
In addition to food, Governor Zulum gave out 20,000 pieces of wrappers and the sum of N20 million to thousands of vulnerable persons as part of humanitarian support for restoration of livelihoods in Gwoza.
The Governor directed the Ministry of Reconstruction, Rehabilitation and Resettlement to rebuild additional 750 homes for resettlement of displaced persons currently living in Pulka.
Zulum said the projects, when completed, should encourage the resettlement of 1,000 families at Ngoshe.
The Governor was also at Government Day Secondary School in Gwoza town, where he directed the Ministry of Education to rehabilitate the school to enable the return of students.
Majority of the towns visited by the governor for humanitarian activities had hitherto been occupied by Boko Haram insurgents before they were liberated by the military.
