Borno State Governor, Prof. Babagana Umara Zulum, has urged the Federal Government to safeguard critical assets belonging to the Chad Basin Development Authority (CBDA), warning that attempts to dispose of serviceable equipment under the guise of scrap metal auctioning could undermine agricultural recovery and security efforts in the North-East.
The governor’s appeal follows reports that some individuals are allegedly planning to auction heavy machinery and facilities located at the CBDA headquarters and its booster stations across northern Borno.
Established to harness the agricultural and water resources of the Lake Chad Basin, the CBDA plays a pivotal role in irrigation farming, livestock development, water supply and rural economic growth. The authority was recently reconstituted by the Federal Ministry of Water Resources as part of efforts to revitalise its operations and enhance food security across the region.
In a statement issued by the Directorate of Information in the Ministry of Information and Internal Security, Zulum described the reported plans to dispose of the equipment as detrimental to ongoing development initiatives.
“It has come to the attention of the Borno State Government that some unscrupulous elements are attempting to cart away the heavy equipment domiciled at the CBDA premises and booster stations across Northern Borno in the name of scrap metal auctioning,” the governor said.
He stressed that the equipment was acquired with substantial public funds and remains functional.
“There is no reason whatsoever to auction them, as doing so will decapitate the CBDA and cripple the agricultural value chain in our state,” he added.
Among the assets reportedly targeted for disposal are irrigation stations, booster plants, drilling machines, power-generation facilities, tractors, bulldozers, combined harvesters, pipelines and crop-processing equipment.
According to Zulum, the removal of such assets would effectively cripple the agency’s capacity and threaten efforts aimed at restoring agricultural productivity in communities recovering from years of insurgency.
The governor also linked illegal scrap metal activities to insecurity in the state, noting that metal scavenging has often been associated with criminal networks operating in conflict-affected areas.
He warned that the dismantling and sale of public infrastructure could inadvertently benefit terrorist groups active around the Lake Chad Basin, Sambisa Forest and the Timbuktu Triangle.
While commending the Federal Government’s efforts to combat insurgency, resettle displaced persons and revive economic activities, Zulum cautioned that the alleged disposal of strategic assets would undermine those achievements.
“While the Federal Government of Nigeria is working assiduously to defeat the Boko Haram insurgency, fast-track the mass resettlement of internally displaced persons and revamp agriculture and rural livelihood, some unscrupulous elements and heartless vendors are working to frustrate the vision of the Federal Government,” he said.
The governor reaffirmed that Borno State’s ban on scrap metal activities remains in force, insisting that the trade has frequently served as a cover for the vandalisation and sale of valuable public infrastructure.
“We shall never allow any person or group to remove any metal from our state. We are recovering from a decade of insurgency, and we can service and recover our metals to serve as the agricultural and industrial backbone of our dear state,” he stated.
Zulum therefore called on the Presidency and the Federal Ministry of Water Resources to intervene urgently and halt any planned disposal of CBDA assets. He also appealed to the military and other security agencies to strengthen surveillance around the authority’s facilities and other strategic installations across the state.
The governor maintained that preserving the CBDA’s equipment is vital to sustaining agricultural recovery, enhancing food security, protecting public investments and supporting long-term peacebuilding efforts in Borno State.
