By Danjuma Amodu
Borno State Governor, Prof. Babagana Zulum, has urged the Federal Government to immediately halt alleged plans to auction off critical assets of the Chad Basin Development Authority, warning that disposing of serviceable heavy equipment as scrap metal would cripple agricultural recovery and fuel insecurity in the North-East.
The governor raised the alarm following reports that some individuals are attempting to cart away machinery from the CBDA headquarters and booster stations across northern Borno under the guise of scrap metal disposal. Established to harness the Lake Chad Basin’s agricultural and water resources, the CBDA is central to irrigation farming, livestock development, and rural livelihoods in a region still recovering from years of insurgency.
“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,” Zulum said in a statement issued by the Ministry of Information and Internal Security.
He noted that the equipment, including irrigation stations, drilling machines, tractors, bulldozers, combined harvesters, and power-generation facilities, was procured at considerable cost and remains serviceable. “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.
Zulum linked the illegal metal trade to insecurity, saying scrap scavenging has often provided cover for criminal networks in conflict-prone areas. He warned that dismantling public assets could inadvertently benefit terrorist groups operating around the Lake Chad Basin, Sambisa Forest, and the Timbuktu Triangle.
While commending Federal Government efforts to resettle displaced persons and revamp agriculture, the governor said the alleged disposal would undermine those gains. “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 called on the Presidency and the Federal Ministry of Water Resources to intervene, and urged security agencies to tighten surveillance around CBDA facilities. He maintained that preserving the authority’s equipment is vital for food security, protecting public investments, and sustaining peacebuilding in Borno.
“There is no reason whatsoever to auction them, as doing so will decapitate the CBDA and cripple the agricultural value chain in our state.” — Prof. Babagana Zulum
