By Abdullahi Alhassan, Kaduna
Governor Babagana Umara Zulum of Borno State has called on the Federal Government to urgently intervene and safeguard critical assets and heavy equipment belonging to the Chad Basin Development Authority (CBDA), warning that attempts to dispose of serviceable facilities as scrap metal could undermine agricultural development and security efforts in the Lake Chad region.
The governor raised the concern amid reports that some individuals were seeking to auction equipment and infrastructure located at the CBDA headquarters and booster stations across northern Borno under the guise of scrap metal disposal.
The Chad Basin Development Authority was established by the Federal Government to harness the agricultural and water resources of the Lake Chad Basin, with a mandate to promote irrigation farming, livestock development, water supply, and power generation across the region.
According to Zulum, the recent reconstitution of the CBDA management by the Federal Ministry of Water Resources was aimed at revitalising the agency’s operations and accelerating efforts to enhance food security, agricultural productivity, and rural livelihoods in Borno State and the wider North-East.
Expressing concern over the reported plans to dispose of valuable assets, the governor stated that the equipment in question remains functional and capable of supporting the authority’s operations.
“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 Federal Government procured this equipment at a high cost, and it is 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 said.
Among the assets reportedly targeted for disposal are irrigation stations, booster plants, drilling machines, electricity generation facilities, tractors, bulldozers, combined harvesters, pipelines, and crop processing equipment.
Zulum warned that removing such facilities would effectively amount to dismantling the operational capacity of the authority and jeopardising ongoing efforts to strengthen agricultural production and economic recovery in the region.
The governor further noted that while the Federal Government is investing significant resources in combating insurgency, facilitating the resettlement of displaced persons, and reviving rural economies, any move to dispose of strategic agricultural infrastructure would undermine those efforts.
He stressed that Borno residents would resist any attempt to compromise public assets that are critical to the state’s development and economic future.
Zulum also highlighted what he described as the longstanding link between illegal metal scavenging and insecurity in the state, noting that criminal networks involved in scrap metal activities have often exploited conflict-affected areas.
According to him, permitting the removal or vandalisation of public infrastructure could inadvertently strengthen criminal elements operating within the Lake Chad Basin, Sambisa Forest, and other volatile locations.
“In the context of Borno State, any attempt to allow metal scavenging will not only bolster insurgency and criminality but will also sabotage national defence and security,” the governor said.
Reaffirming the state’s policy against indiscriminate scrap metal activities, Zulum maintained that Borno would continue to enforce measures aimed at protecting strategic public infrastructure and preserving assets needed for economic reconstruction.
“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 added.
The governor therefore appealed to the Presidency and the Federal Ministry of Water Resources to halt any plans to auction CBDA equipment and facilities, while also calling on security agencies to intensify surveillance around the authority’s installations and other strategic public assets across the state.
He emphasised that preserving the operational capacity of the Chad Basin Development Authority remains crucial to advancing food security, rural development, and long-term stability in Borno State and the North-East region.
