Gambari commissions 804 houses in Borno

President Muhammadu Buhari’s Chief of Staff, Prof. Ibrahim Gambari, has commissioned 804 houses for the resettlement of displaced members of the Ngarannam community and neighboring villages in Mafa, Borno State.

Although the project is for 804 houses, a total of 564 were completed.

The 804 houses were buildings built by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the Borno State Government.

Speaking at the event, Gambari, who conveyed the President’s gratitude to all humanitarian and development partners, said Buhari’s administration would continue to provide the needed support to the Borno State Government and other parts of the North-East to fully stabilise the region.

Gambari, who was accompanied by Borno State Governor, Babagana Zulum, commissioned all the houses at both the UNDP’s site and Borno State Government.

The state government has been building 304 houses from which 204 were completed with 100 ongoing, while the UNDP has 500 units of houses funded through a Regional Stabilisation Facility (RSF) from which 360 were completed while 140 were ongoing.

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According to the state government, the UNDP’s housing estate, designed with a health centre, police post, school and market, was for the resettlement of Ngarannam community, while Borno’s houses are for resettlement of a number of villages neighboring Ngarannam.

The UNDP had, in July 2019, developed a Regional Stabilisation Facility (RSF) with support from Germany, Sweden, the United Kingdom (UK), the Netherlands, and the European Union (EU).

The RSF was created to facilitate the implementation of a Regional Strategy for the Stabilisation, Recovery and Resilience of areas affected by Boko Haram attacks around the Lake Chad Basin made up of communities in Nigeria, Niger, Cameroon, and Chad.

The RSF contributes towards the restoration of security and relief to communities affected by Boko Haram insurgency.

Ngarannam community in Mafa was attacked and destroyed by Boko Haram some years back, forcing community members to become displaced.

The event was attended by the Deputy Governor of neighboring Yobe State, Idi Barde Gubana, Executive Secretary of the Lake Chad Basin Commission (LCBC), Amb. Mamman Nuhu, UNDP’s resident representative in Nigeria, Mohamed Yahya, and representatives of ECOWAS, the European Union, and embassies of Germany, Sweden and the Netherlands, among other development partners.

National and State Assembly members and candidates from Borno State, the Shehu of Dikwa, party leaders and chieftains, commissioners, advisers and assistants, heads of government establishments and other senior government officials from Borno were in attendance.

The Star