Borno Govt to empower 150 women in Chibok

The Borno Government says it plans to empower 150 women in Chibok Local Government Area with Livelihood Support as part of its post-insurgency Reconstruction, Rehabilitation and Resettlement programme.

The State Commissioner for Reconstruction, Rehabilitation and Resettlement, Prof. Babagana Umara, disclosed this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Maiduguri.

He said the beneficiaries would be supported with tools to set up their own businesses after the training.

“We are going to empower 150 women from Chibok with means of livelihood."

“One hundred of them will be trained in poultry, while 50 will be empowered to engage in fish farming,” he said.

He said another set of 50 women will be empowered through the Fadama farming project.

“We also want to empower 50 women in villages through the Fadama project."

“But the task of selecting these women lies with the Chairman, Caretaker Committee of Chibok Local Government,” Umara said.

He said that government would also distribute foodstuff to members of the community as part of its relief to communities ravaged by the Boko Haram insurgency.

“By next week we shall distribute food items to members of the community to provide relief before the farming season,” Umara said.

He said that government had also taken concrete steps toward addressing the problem of water supply in the area.

“Gov. Kashim Shettima is very much concerned about the water problem in Chibok and he has directed that everything possible must be done to tackle the problem."

“That is why we have sunk six boreholes in the area, we are in the process of reticulating the boreholes for maximum output,” Umara said.

The commissioner expressed optimism that the project would be completed by the end of June.

He also disclosed that the state government had purchased 30 heavy duty trucks for the construction of the Chibok-Nbalala road which he said, was in deplorable state.

“Government has purchased 30 trucks to empower the State Road Maintenance Agency toward construction of the Chibok-Nbalala road, which is a federal road."

“The agency has moved to site but lack of equipment has been the major obstacle,” he said.

Umara said that with the acquisition of the trucks, the project would be completed within the year.

He said that government was also constructing 60 houses for victims of insurgency in Chibok.

“We have reached advanced stage in the construction of the 60 houses for victims of insurgency especially the vulnerable ones in Chibok."

“We are hoping that donor agencies will come in to complement our efforts on these projects,” Umara said.

NAN reports that 217 students of the Government Girls Secondary School (GGSS), Chibok, were abducted on April 14, 2014 by suspected Boko Haram insurgents while writing their final year examination in the school.