TheCable

Babagana Zulum, governor of Borno, says President Bola Tinubu has backed the resuscitation of the South Chad irrigation project.

Zulum, who spoke in Abuja on Tuesday after a meeting with the president, said the project has enormous potential to produce enough food to meet the demands of northern Nigeria.

Zulum told State House correspondents that the project was stopped due to the insecurity in the northeast region.

“We spoke about the Lake Chad Basin. Now that we are having relative peace in Borno state, there is a need for the government to ensure the re-establishment of the South Chad irrigation project,” he said.

“The South Chad irrigation project has tremendous potential to produce food to cater for the needs of the entire northern Nigeria and even the whole country.

“As a result of insecurity in the region, the irrigation scheme is not functioning very well for the last decade or more than a decade.

“I spoke with Mr. President and the President will look into the possibility of establishing a very strong security outfit in the Lake Chad Basin so that people shall have access to the agricultural lands.

“Again, we spoke about re-establishing the Yauri irrigation scheme also in northern Borno state.

“So I think this information is very important since the country is looking forward to ensuring food security both in terms of quantity and quality.

“In Sha Allah, when these two irrigation projects are re-established, I believe the issue of food security will be addressed not only in Borno state but also in Nigeria.”

The governor said he also discussed the take-off of the Federal College of Education, Gwoza.

“You will recall that the previous administration had established some federal institutions but unfortunately, not all of them have taken off,” he said.

“The federal government decided to stagger the take-off of these institutions.

“However, I wrote to Mr President on the need for the take-off of the Federal College of Education Gwoza, a few months ago.

“I’m pleased to notify you that the President has given approval for the immediate take-off of the Federal College of Education Gwoza.

“That is something that is very important and very dear to the entire people of Borno state.

Zulum said he also received Tinubu’s backing to resume the repatriation of Nigerian refugees living in Chad, Niger and Cameroon.

The exercise began under the administration of former President Muhammadu Buhari but was stalled due to the general election and rainy season.

The governor said he would consult the National Commission for Refugees (NCR), National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) and other stakeholders before providing a figure on the remaining refugees requiring repatriation.