BY VICTOR IZEKOR
Reports have it that Governor Babagana Umara Zulum of Borno State has given the indication that all the Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) Camps in the state would be closed by May, 2021.
As a result, Governor Zulum charged the Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) in the state to key into the state’s government development programme in the process of executing their activities.
He gave the indication recently in Maiduguri, while speaking at the formal launch of the state’s 25-Year Development Framework and 10-Year Strategic Transformation Plan.
In his key note address at the occasion, HE, Prof Babagana Umara Zulum pointed out that the launching of the 25-Year Development Framework and the 10-Year of Strategic Transformation Plan by his administration were necessitated by the over a decade of atrocities by the Boko Haram insurgency. It has become mandatory to put the state on post-war sound economic and social footing, in addition to a policy to relocate all the IDPs to their ancestral homes in the prevailing relative peace.
He used the occasion to commend President Muhammadu Buhari for his tireless efforts at ensuring the end of the insurgency. He also applauded the security agencies, humanitarian partners such as UNICEF, WHO, World Bank and others for their humanitarian services in the state.
Since assumption of office as the state Governor, Prof Zulum has demonstrated resilience to intimidating forces as well exhibited the capability and capacity to lead and govern especially, in the areas of reconstruction, rehabilitation and resettlement programme of the administration. In the disposition of a leader racing against time, he moved within and outside the state to ensure that Borno State is out of Boko Haram bondage.
With regard to the management of the state IDPs and refugees, which informed this piece, Prof Zulum is leaving no stone unturned to taking the affected back to their ancestral homes. According to an observer, Prof Zulum has justified his endorsement by his predecessor Kashim Shettima, who while recommending Zulum among the other contestants in the APC governorship primaries said, “With humility and absolute respect for all aspirants, I will like to say, that from overwhelming opinions and feedbacks, the aspirant with an edge in understanding the peace-development nexus of Borno’s post conflict future is Prof Babagana Umara Zulum, mni.
“As Commissioner for Reconstruction, Rehabilitation and Resettlement since September 2015, Prof Zulum has been in the thick of our recovery and restoration efforts. He has proved to understand the dynamics. He has established enormous amount of contact in the post conflict development sector and has earned the confidence of local and international stakeholders, Borno State needs such confidence in the task of completing our ongoing social and economic recovery of communities and livelihoods. For our peculiar situation, Prof Zulum has shown the potentials to take Borno State to the next level.”
In the vigorous pursuit of taking his displaced kinsmen back to their permanent abode, Prof Zulum moved from pillar to post, from dawn to dusk, from nooks to crannies, notwithstanding the odds and challenges on the way. In the course of his sojourn in the reconstruction and resettlement programme of his administration, he has been forthcoming and unmitigated as he has been discerning in his vision, assertive and bold in words and action. For example, on one occasion he told the people “I will go to Baga again and again, and by Allah’s will, we will resettle Marte town in October and Insha Allah, we will then move to resettle Abadam.”
“Since assumption of office as the state Governor, Prof Zulum has demonstrated resilience to intimidating forces as well exhibited the capability and capacity to lead and govern”
At another occasion, he said, “We will never leave our people to their fate nor shall we allow all our already traumatized people to sleep with empty stomach. Leadership is a burden and we must carry it, until our people will be able to get sustainable means of livelihoods. May Allah bring total peace to our dear state and the nation in general”.
No doubt, Prof Zulum has made impact on various aspects of Borno State especially, on the IDPs in various camps in the state. He has been visiting them regularly and often spent nights in their various locations. He has been doing this to IDPs in Borno as well to Borno refugees in the neighboring states of Cameroon, Niger and Chad.
Besides, he is sparing no effort in the reconstruction and rehabilitation of destroyed and damaged cities, towns and villages as well infrastructure for the resettlement of the IDPs. Thousands have been resettled. Thousands are being resettled. And thousands would be treated the same in spite of the unrelenting attacks of the terrorists on Borno communities.
For example, in his programmatic disposition to ease the residential needs of the returnees from the neighboring countries and IDPs, Governor Zulum has embarked on the construction of over 6,000 urban and low-cost houses in Banki, Gwoza, Konduga, Kaga and other locations with a substantial number of them already completed. In addition to the habitat being provided, the Borno State government continues on regular basis to distribute food, non-food items and money to the returnees.
However, how realistic is May 2021 deadline for closure of all IDPs in Borno State in the light of various clandestine and dehumanizing activities of Boko Haram and its allies to frustrate all efforts and moves aimed at bringing peace and development to the state and beyond? By the end of May (being next month) would the permanent abode be ready for thousands of the affected IDPs? Besides, how secured are the homes and locations the state government and other stakeholders are tirelessly and committedly providing for those affected? To what extent are the able bodied people especially, the men being empowered as idle mind is said to be the devil’s workshop?
As pointed out, the efforts of Governor Zulum to get Borno out of the Shakespeare’s “architecture of ruins” and salvage the human souls are commendable. History will not in hurry forget this noble and courageous attribute of Prof Zulum in the Borno State’s hour of trial moreso, when in course of finding peace and succor for the people, his own life was threatened.
Baring all unforeseen circumstances, the closure of all the IDP camps in Borno State should become “Faith accompli” by the end of next month. However, the exercise to bring back the IDPs and the returnees to their homes cannot not be over until seen to be over. While due caution, discreet, and honesty should be observed, there is need for unity of purpose among all the stakeholders in this project. Borno State takes the lion’s share of the burden as about 80 percent of the affected IDPs and returnees are known to hail from the state.
While the Daily Trust Editorial of 17th March, 2021 titled “The Return of Nigerian Refugees”, commended the noble role of the Borno State Governor for his laudable steps aimed at returning the IDPs and refugees back to their source, it advanced further measures at making the entire exercise a success.
According to the Editorial, “The return of the refugees back to Nigeria is commendable and every effort should be made to bring back all Nigerians who fled because of the spate of insecurity. Towards this, the federal government should provide the necessary diplomatic and logistics back up with seamless cooperation between the federal, state and international partners, and civil society organisations. There should be no inter-agency rivalry.
“Also, the returnees should be vetted to ensure that terrorists and bandits who are sources of evil are not repatriated with state funds and allowed to live among the civil populations and be the source of future violence and killings.
“And more importantly, the insecurity that caused the flight of these citizens should be made a thing of the past. Therefore, no effort should be spared to ensure that the situation that caused such exodus of Nigerians doesn’t reoccur. This war against terrorism, banditry and other criminalities must be won”.
As a matter of fact, Prof Zulum’s predecessor, Alh Kashim Shettima attempted twice to relocate the thousands of IDPs to their ancestral homes, but twice he was frustrated by the determined insurgents who were hell bent to making Kashim’s dream an illusion.
At a point, as part of his resolve to ensure the return of the people to their ancestral homes, Kashim had to relocate the seat of government temporarily, from Maiduguri to Bama, for seamless coordination of the resettlement programme. From, Bama, the Local Government Headquarters of Bama Local Government, Kashim hopped from one Senatorial district to another, crossing the “t’s” and dotting the “i’s” of the rehabilitation, reconstruction and resettlement programme. Much as he tried to take his kinsmen back to their hitherto permanent abode, the failure of this remained an unfinished business of Kashim’s government, a legacy inherited by Zulum’s administration.
lVictor Izekor is a journalist and public affairs analyst and write at victorizekor@gmail.com
