Yobe enjoys relative peace across 17 LGAs – Buni

…Says farmers now have access to farmlands

By Omeiza Ajayi

ABUJA – Yobe State Governor, Mai Mala Buni, has said the state now enjoys relative peace across its 17 local government areas following years of insurgency, with farmers and business operators able to pursue their activities without major security disruptions.

Buni spoke on Sunday night in Abuja at the Yobe Development and Partnership Roundtable, where he engaged distinguished indigenes of the state residing outside the state.

He said the improved security situation had enabled farmers to return to their farmlands, while business owners could move freely across communities to conduct legitimate commercial activities.

“Yobe State today enjoys relative peace across the 17 local government areas. Our farmers in the last few years have had access to their farmlands, while businessmen and women continue to traverse the length and breadth of the state conducting legitimate businesses peacefully,” the governor said.

Recalling the difficult period of insurgency, Buni said the state had suffered widespread killings, displacement, destruction of communities and loss of livelihoods.

“A few years back, our story was different, pathetic and despicable. Yobe, our dear state, the Pride of the Sahel, was plagued by a reckless, brutal and senseless insurgency security challenge. Many people were killed, others maimed, several communities displaced, and the surviving victims lost their means of livelihood,” he said.

He, however, commended the resilience of the people, saying their determination to overcome the challenges had contributed to the state’s recovery.

Buni acknowledged that rebuilding the state was difficult, considering the limited resources available to the government and the extensive destruction caused by insecurity.

He said his administration supported economic recovery by distributing farm machinery and other agricultural inputs to farmers free of charge to improve productivity, strengthen food security and promote economic growth.

According to him, the government also maintained minimal tax charges for businesses and other commercial activities to enable operators to recover from the effects of the insurgency.

He said the administration deliberately refrained from reviewing existing tax rates, which he described as outdated and unrealistic.

On education, Buni said his administration declared a state of emergency in the sector, particularly at the primary and basic levels, upon assuming office.

He listed the achievements under the programme to include the reconstruction of 301 schools, construction of 929 new classrooms and rehabilitation of 748 others.

The governor added that the government established 15 mega and model schools, as well as 10 new Government Girls Senior Secondary Schools, to promote girl-child education.

He said more than 9,000 qualified teachers had been recruited, while over 12,000 others received training under the emergency programme.

Buni further disclosed that over 50,000 students had benefited from government scholarships, while more than 400 students were sponsored to universities in India to study medicine and engineering.

He said about 200 of the beneficiaries had been employed by the state government and were already serving in medical facilities across Yobe.

On healthcare, the governor said the West African College of Physicians had certified the Yobe State University Teaching Hospital for postgraduate residency training.

He added that the West African College of Surgeons had also certified the Damaturu Specialist Hospital for postgraduate training of resident doctors in obstetrics and gynaecology.

Buni said his administration had sustained free dialysis services for kidney patients, alongside free medical care for expectant mothers, children under five and victims of road accidents.

In agriculture, he said tractors, ox-drawn ploughs, hand tillers, fertilisers and improved seeds had been distributed free of charge to farmers across the state’s 178 political wards.

“We are now ready for the third phase,” he said.

The governor also explained how his administration intervened to protect sesame farmers from exploitation by grain merchants from Dawanau in Kano State.

He said the merchants previously visited rural communities at the end of every farming season to buy sesame crops before harvest at significantly low prices.

To address the situation, Buni said the government constructed roads linking rural communities to markets, making it easier for farmers to transport their produce and secure better market access.

Meanwhile, the governor announced the establishment of the Yobe Global Engagement and Partnerships Desk in the Office of the Secretary to the State Government.

He said the desk would coordinate engagement with Yobe indigenes living in other parts of Nigeria and abroad, as well as institutions interested in supporting the state’s development.

Buni directed the Secretary to the State Government, Dr Mohammed Goje, to develop an operational framework for the initiative, including arrangements for coordination, information management and reporting.

Earlier, Goje said the roundtable was designed to provide an opportunity for the government to listen to indigenes of the state and connect their expertise with Yobe’s development priorities.

“For clarity, this is an exploratory engagement. It does not seek or imply commitment,” he said.