Borno State governor, Babagana Zulum, has expressed concern over the huge financial burden of tackling insecurity in the state, revealing that his administration has spent about N100bn on improving security within the year.
The governor made the disclosure on Thursday during a visit to the Emir of Uba, Ali Ibn Mamza, at his palace in Uba town, Askira/Uba local government area of Borno South.
According to him, the visit was aimed at assessing the security situation in the area, describing insecurity as a major setback to ongoing and planned infrastructure projects, especially road construction.
He noted that persistent attacks had forced many contractors to abandon their sites, making it difficult for the government to carry on with its development agenda.
He said, “My visit is to do a lot of work and, most especially, assess the security situation. Security is important; without it, there would be no peace. I have plans to construct roads, but the problem is no contractor will want to come down and work here. That’s why I am establishing a quarry site in Gwoza and purchasing 100 trucks so that our road maintenance agency can construct roads.
“In this year, what I spent on security is about N100bn. If there is peace, why wouldn’t I use it to do some developmental projects? We have many plans for education, health and more. The truth is that we are spending a lot on security and putting structures on the ground,” Zulum noted.
Despite the challenges, the governor assured residents that road construction would begin in the near future, alongside the establishment of higher education institutions, computer centres and other developmental projects in the area.
In his response, the Emir of Uba, Ali Ibn Mamza, commended the governor’s efforts and acknowledged the numerous projects carried out by his administration despite the prevailing security challenges.
He expressed gratitude for the interventions in the community and assured the governor that the people of Uba would continue to pray for lasting peace in Borno State and across the country.
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