Assessing Yobe’s post-conflict economic recovery programmes

By Rabiu Sani-Ali, News Agency of Nigeria (NAN)

Yobe located in north-east Nigeria is being ravaged by the Boko Haram insurgency, desert encroachment and other environmental challenges, a trend inhibiting sustainable social and economic development of the state.

With an estimated population of 3.6 million according to 2022 official records, over 75 per cent of the people engage in farming and animal rearing.

A substantial number of the inhabitants are engaged in local commercial activities leading to proliferation of village markets across the state.

Trading activities mainly on agricultural produce and livestock, especially in Potiskum, Nguru, Geidam, Yusufari, Gashua and Damaturu attract entrepreneurs from neighbouring states, as well as Niger and Chad.

Potiskum is one of leading cattle markets in West Africa, which suffered the brunt of the insurgents’ attacks in the past 10 years.

However, Yobe is not faring well in terms of the much-needed Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) to stimulate infrastructure development to herald industrial and economic growth in spite of huge trade existing in major towns inYobe.

Yobe’s IGR in 2022 was N10.5 billion, making it one of the three lowest-performing states in Nigeria. The IGR has increased from N4.375 billion in 2018, to N8.515 billion in 2019, and N10.5 billion in 2022.

The improvement in IGR is attributable to the tax reforms being implemented by Gov. Mai Mala Buni since assumption of office in 2019.

To further build a sound foundation for rapid economic transformation, Buni initiated viable infrastructure development projects, agriculture and business support as well as youth and women empowerment programmes.

Postiskum

The programmes, an integral part of the post-conflict recovery process, are designed to provide livelihoods, create jobs, reduce poverty and enhance wealth creation in the society, while encouraging industrial growth through public private partnerships.

To actualise his drive to transform the state’s economy via improved trade, the government constructed four modern markets with 3,200 shops in Potiskum, Damaturu, Nguru and Gashua.

Each of the markets was designed with 800 shops; 28 stores, a police station, parking slots, dumping sites, road network, a fire fighing unit, an administration block, etc.

An entrepreneur, Hashim Bomoi, said the establishment of the markets significantly provided an enabling environment for businesses to thrive.

He said the gesture would also boost trading activities and improved state’s revenue base.

In 2023, the Yobe government expended several billions of Naira on procurement and distribution of fertilisers, inputs, and equipment to small holder farmers across the 17 local government areas of the state.

More than 17,500 farmers each received fertilisers, seeds, chemicals, a planter, a power tiller, and knapsack sprayer, while a fleet of tractors and harvesters had been launched under a subsidised hiring scheme, to encourage agric mechanisation and boost productivity.

To encourage productivity, agriculture value addition, processing and export of cash crops, the Buni administration accomplished yet another milestone project by constructing a cargo airport, to ease transportation of agricultural produce and woo investors to the state.

It has also completed the construction of a six-tonne per hour capacity sesame aggregation and processing plant in Machina town, while works on three other plants were at various stages of completion at Nguru, Potiskum and Damaturu.

Alhaji Kaigama Umar, Commissioner for Commerce, said that, “this is necessary because Yobe is a leading sesame producer in the country.

“The idea behind the establishment of sesame seed cleaning, processing and packaging factories was conceived by Mai Mala Buni shortly after assuming office.

“Factories like this accelerate industrialisation, which will help our farmers and enhance our IGR,” he said.

According to him, Yobe is the largest producer of sesame in the country, noting that the produce is being cultivated in a commercial quantity in Geidam, Yunusari, Nguru, Machina, among others.

He said sesame farmers in the areas would no longer have to travel to Kano to process their crops as the factory would be at their doorsteps.

“We are also inviting sesame farmers outside the state to come and take advantage of the facility,” he said.

The Buni administration prioritised promoting partnership with development partners, federal agencies and private sector to accelerate industrialisation of the state.

In this regard the state government has allocated 300 hectares of land to the Nigeria Export Processing Zone Agency (NEPZA), to support its activities, and establish its office close to the cargo airport.

“You should ensure efficient and speedy use of the land to enhance development.

“Government deliberately allocated the land to the agency close to the Cargo Airport, to stimulate trade and business activities in the state.

“You have great role to play in promoting export of agricultural produce including sesame seeds, gum arabic, livestock and other crops that are produced in great commercial quantities in the state,” Buni said while presenting Certificate-of-Occupancy to the NEPZA, Executive Secretary, Usman Bakori.

To further propel its development programme, the state entered into a similar partnership with the Small and Medium Enterprises Development Agency of Nigeria (SMEDAN), to enhance job creation for unemployed graduates.

Buni, who has expressed worry and shared the pain of unemployed youths, reiterated commitment to securing employment opportunities to the unemployed graduates, to enable them to meet the expectations of their families and live their lives with dignity and prosperity.

The government, therefore, began massive recruitment of unemployed university graduates, diploma holders, and National Certificate of Education graduates across the 178 wards in the state.

Buni believed that the youths trained by the state in various trades were not only gainfully employed but also employers of labour.

“This partnership occupies a very special place in the heart of our administration, and we are committed to secure more jobs for our youth.

“The government will explore the potential in each of the 17 local government areas to provide means of livelihood and economic prosperity to our youth,” he said.

Also, the Director-General of SMEDAN, Mr Charles Odii, said the agency would partner the state towards providing employment opportunities for unemployed graduates.

“SMEDAN will drive, stimulate and coordinate development of Micro, Small and Medium-scale Enterprises (MSMEs) in Yobe state, to promote self-sufficiency.

“The partnership will provide the benefitting graduates with skills to accelerate self-employment for economic prosperity,” Odii said during a visit to Buni.

While consolidating on the gains of partnership with SMEDAN, the Buni administration sealed another cooperation agreement with the Arab Bank for Economic Development (BADEA) on energy and agriculture development.

This followed successful negotiations, which focused on job creation and enhance security and infrastructure in the state.

The agreement seeks to encourage agricultural productivity, vocational training, infrastructural and energy development, as well as quality education and healthcare service delivery, and security to safeguard the environment.

Buni, who spoke at the signing of the agreement, said that, “we are passionate about agriculture being the major preoccupation of our people to improve food sufficiency, food security and economic development.

“Vocational training for our youth is another key sector to provide employment opportunities and economic growth in our reconstruction and recovery programme.

“The state government is also committed to improving the infrastructure to enhance socio-economic development in our quest to recover from the destruction by insurgency”.

He added that in spite of his administration’s huge investment in education, the sector still required more support in view of its capital intensive nature.

Dr Sidi Tah, the president of the bank, expressed satisfaction with the efforts made by the state government in the reconstruction, rehabilitation and recovery efforts after decades of Boko Haram insurgency.

“We are impressed with your efforts and commitment to improving the lives of your people, we are ready to partner with your state to improve on the achievements made,” the president assured.

Experts are of the view that the Yobe government needs to initiate comprehensive tax administration reforms, to block leakages and boost state revenue base, to sustain the feat so far achieved in the economic recovery process. (NANFeatures) (www.nannews.ng)

**If used please credit the writer and News Agency of Nigeria