Borno Collaborates With World Bank to Support Fadama Project

By Ahmed Abu, The Nigerian Voice, Maiduguri

Borno State Government has assured its readiness to collaborate with the World Bank supported Fadama project to address socio economic challenges confronting people at the grass-root.

Deputy Governor of Borno State Alhaji Usman Mamman Durkwa gave the assurance when the Internal Mission Team led by Dr Herbert Ben paid him visit at the Government House in Maiduguri.

A statement issued Wednesday by Bulama Yerima, Communication Officer, Borno state said represented by the head of Service Architect Yerima sale, the Deputy governor said the Fadama Three Additional Finance has given hope and self confidence to the worst hit victims of insurgency in Borno.

Deputy Governor particularly described the food assistance as life saver and the farm and non-farm input support as lifelines to the selected households and other beneficiaries such as skilled and unskilled youths in twenty four out of the twenty seven local governments who benefitted under “cash for work” concept of the project.

While assuring full support of the state government, Alhaji Usman Durkwa however appeal to the World Bank and the national Fadama Coordination office to scale up their activities in the state as forty household in every community is grossly inadequate considering magnitude of loss of economic and social activities incurred by direct victims numbering over four million.

Borno State, he said suffered most as a result of the Boko Haram insurgency that engulfed the region being epicenter of the crisis.

The Deputy Governor however thanked the World Bank and the Fadama Officials for Directly supporting the people.

He said the rural infrastructure being provided to the communities by Fadama has also reduced government burden particularly the provision of Solar powered Borehole, wash Bores, rural market stalls as well as feeder roads and culverts.

Earlier the team leader of the Fadama Internal Mission, Dr. Herbert Ben said the team was in the state to check how the state Fadama Coordination Office was able to implement the project and verify same through field visits and interactive session with the beneficiaries.

He said after having a technical session with the staff and some community members the team was able visit some benefitting communities and commended the Borno State Fadama Coordination Office for recording over one hundred percent success except “cash for work” some of whose fund was released just last week.

In his introductory remarks, the commissioner for reconstruction Professor Babagana Umara Zulum said the people of Bama who just returned home depends on the eight Boreholes drilled by the Fadama Project stressing that because of the honesty and practical nature of their activities, the Borno State Government in collaboration with his ministry was able top up funds required for the drilling of free flow Boreholes in Gajiram the headquarters of Nganzai LGA.

Similarly he said the two Fadama Boreholes are the only sources of water for Rann Community in Kala Balge.

Professor Babagana Umara Zulum said the partnership with Fadam has yielded many positive results and has made positive impact on lives of the people as 6,640 Households Benefitted directly in twenty four Local Governments while over two thousand who fled from the three southern local governments also benefitted as IDPs in host communities.