Dangote Foundation To Invest N80 Billion on Road Construction,Education in Borno.. . As Zulum Distributes Food and Non Food items To Dikwa IDPs, Convert Resort Center, Mega School To Skills Acquisition Center, GGDSS

Dangote Foundation is to invest about N60 billion on road construction of Maiduguri-Bama-Babki road and Maiduguri-Dikwa-Gamboru Nagala road in Borno State in the next 10 to 12 months.

The Borno State Governor, Professor Babagana Umara Zulum disclosed this in Dikwa Saturday during his courtesy call on the Shehu of Dikwa, HRH, Muhammad Ibn Shehu Masa El Kanemi at his palace said he was in Dikwa town Saturday to assess four major projects.

Sunday in an interview with journalists, he said he was in Dikwa to personally distribute the rice provided by the Nigerian Customs Service which President Muhammadu Buhari directed the NCS to supply the state government to distribute to IDPs.

The Governor said the food item was distributed to 25,000 men and women IDPs while thanking President Buhari and the Comptroller General if Customs, Colonel Hamidu Ali (rtd) for their support and assistance to the Borno IDPs in the past 5 years..

He added that the rice was provided as siezed contrabands by the NCS on the President's directive while noting that apart from the rice from the NCS, other food and non food items like beans, masaflour and wrappers along with cash were distributed to the25,000 women and men IDPs.

The men IDPs queued and collected their food items at the premises of the Shwhu of Dikwa palace while the female IDPs queued and colllected theirnon food item and cash at the premises of the Dikwa LGC Secretriat Sunday

He further said that following the Boko Haram insurgency, he decided to resuscitate the agricultural sector of the state to enable farmers return to farm to produce enough food through the Fadama/Firgi Farm project in collaboration with the LGCs and stakeholders. Over 17 hectares have so far been cultivated in addition to the over 30 hectrarea cultivated in other parts of the state by the state government which has been abandoned for over 6 years since 2013 due to the boko Haram insurgency.

The Governor further said that he was in Dikwa to inspect education facilities and convert the Renovated Dikwa Resort Center along Mafa Road to a Skills Acquisition Center to train 500-600 students on 14 various skills or trades within 6 months who will be supported with working tools and small financial assistance to start up their own businesses and end up being employers of labour too by employing and training others.

Zulum added that he was in Dikwa to address issue of scarcity of food among the Dikwa IDPs where thousands of bags of food items were distributed to every household in Dikwa town while the Mega Primary School Dikwa built by the former Govebro Kashim Shettima will be converted to Goverment Girls Day Secondary School (GGDSS) for the teeming girls and renovated the former Government Teachers College Dikwa as well convert it to GSS Dikwa.

He noted that all the education projects will be incorporated into the 2020 State Budget for immietate execution alongside plan to upgrade the proposed skills Acquisition Center into a Technical School with adequate staffing and N20 million take up fund.

The Governor also said about N200 million equipments was procured by the state government for the skills acquisition training centers across the state.

The Chairman of Dikawa LGC, Hon. Babagana Modu in an interview with newsmen said about 12,800 hectares of land have been culltivated for guinea corn and sorghum under the Fadama Projet while 5 hectrarea have also been cultivated for rice which will be harvested in two weeks time.

According to him, 15,000 beneficiaries are expected to benefit from the Fadama Project while appreciating Gov. Babagana Umara Zulum for resuscitating the Firgi farming in the LGA and state at large as well as road construction, agricultural, educational and distributing food and non food items to the Dikwa IDPs who have been exposed to hunger and starvation as a result of the Insurgency.

Beneficiaries of the food and non food distribution, one Hajja Yaana Masa and Musty Adam thanked the governor for coming to their aid and personally distributing the items to them while appealing for more access and security to their farmrlands.