Borno State will collaborate through some initiatives that will give farmers in Borno State increased and safe access to their farmlands this rainy season, Governor Babagana Umara Zulum has said.
He stated this at Keleri, a town on the outskirt of Maiduguri, located along the Maiduguri-Mafa-Dikwa- Gamboru Highway.
The governor spoke while interacting with thousands of farmers at about 11 am who were held at a military roadblock as they awaited clearance to access their farmlands.
“We (our farmers) had access (to their farmlands) in 2020, 2021, and 2022, I see no reason why we can’t have access to our farmlands in 2023 whereas there is a greater improvement in terms of security (in this 2023).
“I will see the military command and insha’Allah, we will discuss and come up with a strong mechanism that would allow farmers to safely cultivate their lands and we will also deal ruthlessly with some of the miscreants harboring around the metropolitan and its environs,” Zulum said.
He added, “Farming is very important to all of us, food insecurity is the worst form of insecurity. Therefore, we will not allow food insecurity to surface in this part where we have started to witness the return of peace substantially.”
Zulum assured of the government’s commitment to improving security around farmlands through the use of more agro rangers to protect farmers from miscreants perpetrating criminal activities on soft targets.
The governor called on the people to be resilient and conscious of the happenings around them and also report any suspicious activity to security operatives.
Zulum tasked citizens to cooperate with the military and other security agencies.
