TheCable

Business and social activities have returned to Banki town in Bama LGA of Borno state, after seven years in which the community remained deserted.

Banki was one of the communities sacked by Boko Haram insurgents in 2014.

Most residents of the town had fled to take refuge at camps for internally displaced persons (IDPs) in Maiduguri, the state capital.

Babagana Zulum, governor of the state, who spent a night in the town on Thursday, expressed his excitement over the development.

The governor arrived the town earlier on Thursday for the launch of another phase of the regional stabilisation project, coordinated by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).

He, however, decided to pass the night in the town.

“It is gratifying to note that business activities have resumed in Banki town. You can see Banki’s situation at 10:30pm today. This is the kind of progress we have been looking for in a long time,” he said.

“I think today is one of my happiest moments, because of the fact that we can walk inside Banki town at this odd time. I am very much satisfied, because, this is not 10am; this is 10:30pm. Anybody, I believe, will be happy to note this development.

“Just six months ago, Banki was a ghost town when we came in, residents confined themselves to IDP camps for about seven years. But now, we have seen the progress. We express our utmost gratitude to President Buhari, the Nigerian military, police, DSS, the multinational forces, paramilitary and our volunteers and all other stakeholders for making the changes in Banki possible.

“We pray to the Almighty to bring lasting peace to this community and the entire state. Insha’Allah, we will continue to provide the needed security architecture in this very important town and other communities of the state. Insha’Allah, we shall continue to build the resilience of the people; we shall promote peace and cohesion among the residents in the entire state.”

The governor also approved N50 million for traders in the community to support their businesses.

Zulum had visited Banki many times since becoming governor, and had approved the reconstruction of homes, schools, hospitals and other public service infrastructure.