From Timothy Olanrewaju, Maiduguri
BORNO State Government and the Victim Support Fund (VSF) in the North East states have earmarked N500 million for rebuilding of Borno central town of Dikwa destroyed by Boko Haram.
Governor Kashim Shettima spoke while receiving the building materials worth N200 million from the VSF and additional donation of N50 million at Dikwa, headquarters of Dikwa Local Government at the weekend. He said his administration would equally inject another N250 million for the reconstruction of the town seized by Boko Haram in 2014.
“Borno State Government will be willing to inject additional N250 million through its road maintenance agency for the reconstruction of infrastructure especially roads and buildings in Dikwa,” the governor announced when he flagged off reconstruction of the town weekend. He said the money will be used in reconstructing public and private buildings including schools, hospitals, police station, palaces among others.
Shettima said the VSF intervention was a big relief especially in the face of the dwindling resources and impact of the over six years insurgency on the economy of the state and its people. However, he appealed to VSF to consider the reconstruction of Maiduguri-Ngala road, Maiduguri-Bama-Banki road and that of Bama-Gwoza destroyed by the insurgents’ landmine and explosive devices.
Meanwhile, Chairman of Borno State Emergency Agency (SEMA), Alhaji Ahmed Satomi, has said no fewer than 500,000 households will benefit from the World Food Programme in 2016.
Satomi, who disclosed this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) yesterday in Maiduguri, said 35, 000 households had so far benefited.
The chairman said the agency planned to reach out to 1.4 million Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) taking refuge in other communities. “We are targeting the most vulnerable couples, widows and those who have passed through great hardship as a result of the insurgency. “Apart from our IDPs in the 28 camps, we also have about a million of them taking refuge in host communities of Jere and Maiduguri Metropolitan Council.
