Mukaila Ola
Borno State Governor, Professor Babagana Umara Zulum was on Wednesday at Malari village in Konduga Local Government Area to flag-off the safe resettlement of households who had been internally displaced for more than seven years.
The resettlement followed the reconstruction of 803 existing houses which were destroyed by Boko Haram insurgents during serial attacks about seven years ago.
The State’s Ministry of Reconstruction, Rehabilitation and Resettlement (MRRR) under its Commissioner, Engr. Mustapha Gubio rebuilt the houses.
Zulum at the resettlement ceremony directed the allocation of N100,000 to each of 500 community members whose houses were not part of the 803 houses already rebuilt. The sum of N50m will be shared to the 500 persons.
The Governor also announced the allocation of cash to households returning to rebuilt homes, who were made of 240 male returnees that will get N200,000 each 379 female returnees to each receive N10,000 plus a wrapper, regardless of whether some of the female returnees married to benefiting male returnees.
Zulum also announced the distribution of food and non food items which he revealed, was contributed by the North-East Development Commission, NEDC, meant to support all returnees, with each household to get bags of rice, maize, gallons groundnut oil, mattresses, with women to get wrappers as addition.
The Governor commended the NEDC for ceaselessly providing interventions, and he pledged the continued commitment of the Borno State Government in sustaining ongoing reconstruction projects and the starting of new ones, towards the safe and dignified resettlements of IDPs and refugees who fled to neighboring countries in the wakes of attacks between 2013 to 2014.
In his remark, Commissioner for MRRR, Engr. Gubio assured Zulum of his Ministry’s focus in ensuring the resettlement in line with the yearnings of the people.
In their separate speeches, top personalities from communities in Konduga Local Government Area, notably APC State Chairman, Ali Bukar Dalori, member representing Konduga at the State Assembly, as well as the Chairman, Borno State Local Government Service Commission, Senator Kaka Malam Yale, all spoke about the significance of Zulum’s resettlement of Malari village which they similarly described as a milestone achievement.
They all paid tribute to Governor Zulum for relentlessly deploying measures to enhance security in different parts of Konduga and for regularly visiting communities to stand with them and support them whenever there was any incident.
They urged residents to remain supportive of the Governor, keep cooperating with security persons and be praying for the sustenance of emerging peace in Borno State.