From John Adams, Minna
The Niger State government has appealed to the Federal Government to consider reopening the Babanna land border in the Borgu Local Government Area of the state in order to boost the economic activities of border communities in the area.
The Director General and Chief Executive of the Niger State Babanna Border Development Agency (NIBBDA), Alhaji Mohammed Garba Danladi, made the appeal in Minna during a stakeholders’ engagement meeting towards the development of the border market in Babanna.
The stakeholders’ meeting, with the theme “Unlocking the Border Potential for a New Niger,” brought together critical stakeholders from the business community, security agencies, and development partners with a view to fostering economic growth, social cohesion, and environmental sustainability in the border communities.
Alhaji Danladi, in his address at the occasion, pointed out that with the Federal Government’s approval for the establishment of a border market in Babanna, it has become necessary to consider reopening the border to boost economic activities in the market.
Mallam Danladi pointed out that the Babanna border market, when fully operational, will not only transform the lives of the people of the border communities but will also address the security challenges in the area.
According to him, the menace of bandits and other insurgents in the area is due to a lack of government activities and presence, stressing that “insecurity only thrives in an ungoverned space. The border market, when fully operational, will make insecurity a thing of the past in the area.”
He disclosed that the Babanna border market will transform the lives of people living in the border area, stressing that the vision of the state government through the agency “is to develop the Babanna border by providing basic social and infrastructural amenities through the implementation of planned and sustainable projects.”
While ensuring the sustainable social, economic, and infrastructural development of the Babanna border, areas such as education, healthcare, water supply, agriculture, and economic empowerment will be given serious attention.
He maintained that in order to achieve the objective of the Babanna border market, the agency has identified strategic potentials in the border area, which include economic and commercial potential, foreign direct investments, agriculture, and rural-urban drift reduction.
The Director General disclosed further that the agency will focus its activities on revenue generation, agricultural development, mineral resource management, trade liberalisation, and the provision of basic infrastructure.
Earlier, the District Head of Wawa in Borgu Local Government, Dr Mahmoud Aliyu, urged the State Government to ensure that the issue of insecurity is addressed in the area in order to ensure the smooth take-off of the market, saying that banditry remains one of the greatest challenges facing the entire Borgu Local Government.
He said that the success of the market and other business activities in the area is hinged on adequate security, adding that “as viable as the establishment of the market might look, the issue of insecurity must be addressed.”
Although he disclosed that there is some respite now compared to what was experienced earlier this year, there are still pockets of challenges in terms of insecurity in the area.
The Chairman of Borgu Local Government, Alhaji Yarima Kilishi, described the Federal Government’s approval for the establishment of the Babanna border market and the creation of an agency for it as the best thing that has happened to the border communities, saying that economic activities abound in the area.
He assured that the local government will give all the necessary support to ensure the smooth take-off of the market, as it will go a long way in boosting the revenue base of the local government.