*Gov Zulum lauds German Govt stabilization interventions to Borno Govt, people
By; SADIQ ABUBAKAR, Maiduguri
As major donor to the UNDP 1,000 housing estates regional stabilization facility intervention project, German Foreign Affairs Minister, Annalena Baerbock said she was in Borno State to assess on behalf of the German Government, the regional stabilization facility UNDP project coordinated and implemented at Nganaram community of Mafa LGA of the state.
The minister added that the visit will also give her the opportunity to interact with the community women and children, as well as be able to assess the facilities and amenities available or provided for the community stabilization and livelihood to ascertain areas of additional support or more interventions.
Annalena stated this on Monday during her one day state visit to Borno State on assessment of regional stabilization facility intervention projects in Nganaram community of Mafa Local Government Area of Borno State.
She was also conducted round houses where she interacted through interpreters, the Director General, State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA), Hajiya Yabawa Kolo and Special Adviser on MDAs, Dr. Mairo Mandara who took her round to talk to some house wives and children, especially the vulnerable women and children in the community, while commending them for successful resettlement and livelihood.
The German Foreign Minister further acknowledged and appreciated the reception accorded her and the traditional title bestowed on her as a distinguished visitor to the community.
Earlier in his remark, Governor Babagana Umara Zulum said, “the building of communities in the state would help in fighting terrorism, give children future through education, housing and good healthcare facilities, etc.
“We are therefore, working together as European partners, as German partners in peace stabilization process here, and we would work on security, education, and also supporting health.
“Education is the best promise for the coming future and we can see how important it’s here to engage the communities because people know the best way to build future for their children”, Zulum said.
He explained that 437 male heads of households were to each have a pair of bull and heifer, while 64 female heads of households were to each receive a pair of she-goat and a he-goat.
Additionally, 503 housewives were each to get a pair of she-goats and one he-goat.
Zulum also said each of all the resettled households were to get two 50 kg bags of rice and maize, a gallon of vegetable oil, a mattress, plastic mat, blanket and clothing materials.
Zulum however, noted that
without the German Government’s intervention, many youth would have joined Boko Haram insurgents groups in the Borno and even across the North East region, stressing that, the huge German support has curtailed the escalation of Boko Haram crisis in Nigeria and other places across Europe and world.
“Without this support, I believe that many youth would have joined ISWAB, joined ISIS and that would have caused problem not only to the North Eastern states and the entire Northern Nigeria, but also to the entire Europe and the world,” Zulum said.
The governor further revealed that the Regional Stabilization Facility amounted to €50 million with German Government as the highest contributor which had tremendously supported the government and people of Borno State.
“With the regional stabilization facility, we were able to resettle not fewer than 45,000 people in the Nganaram community, built Police station, shops, stalls, schools, clinic, drilled boreholes with overhead tanks, installed solar system to all the community facilities and amenities, including street lights for their livelihood.
“You can see that more than 3,000 are living in Ngaramman community and this is the only one out of the eight communities that Germany had so far intervened.
“By contributing to the RSF, you are providing livelihood to our people, and this people would not have chance to join ISWAB or ISIS, reducing crises in the entire sub-Saharan Africa, and the entire Sahel Region and therefore, I remain grateful to the government of Germany for all the support to us”, Zulum added.
