Borno State Governor, Prof. Babagana Umara Zulum has boosted the moral of fish farmers, traders and merchants operating in the Lake Chad region of the state with the release of five vehicles and a business grant as a stimulus for them.
The governor made the offer in Monguno during an interactive meeting with fish dealers during his visit to enhance the trading of dried fish previously suspended as a result of the activities of Boko Haram insurgents in the state.
Mayhem has been part of daily life in northern Nigeria leading to massive displacement of about 2.7 million people from their homes and communities as a result of a campaign of terror by the Islamist group Boko Haram.
Borno is by far the most threated state, in that, Boko Haram has caused over 34 thousand deaths in this area as the threat is presently spreading to other regions, due to the failure of the government to successfully counter the terrorists.
The governor visited Monguno to supervise the distribution of N275 million cash donations alongside bags of food items as well as textiles to over 90,000 Internally Displaced Peoples (IDPs) and vulnerable members.
“Economic activities were disrupted in the state with Boko Haram attacks on military posts and communities on shores of Lake Chad. Prior to terrorism, dry fish was commercially supplied to other parts of the country, including Niger Republic, Chad and Cameroon.”
He urged the traders to cooperate with the security agencies by providing information about suspicious activities relating to insurgents and warned them against any business deals that can support funding to Boko Haram and Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP).
