The sorry side of Benue border communities
This therefore leads to the question of what Nigerians living in the border communities can do to hinder foreigner’s easy access into the country. The state of poverty in the border communities needs to be tackled to get the cooperation and loyalty of Nigerians living in border communities to curb this menace. Most border communities […]
This therefore leads to the question of what Nigerians living in the border communities can do to hinder foreigner’s easy access into the country. The state of poverty in the border communities needs to be tackled to get the cooperation and loyalty of Nigerians living in border communities to curb this menace.
Most border communities in the country do not have basic social amenities that can qualify them as a human settlement in the 21st century. No safe drinking water, no electricity, no hospitals nor clinics. Life expectancy in these communities is brutish, rash and short.
Tackling the anomaly
In effort to tackle this anomaly, the federal government through the Border Communities Development Act of 2003, established the Border Communities Development Agency (BCDA), with a charge to oversee the development of the border communities.
The Act, which was first passed by the National Assembly in 2003 and later amended in 2006, became operational only in December, 2009 with the inauguration of the board of BCDA. BCDA which was vested with the challenges of evolving strategies of developing the border communities in the country is expected to prepare a comprehensive programme of action for the development of the border communities, identify and determine in each year, such deliberate or conscious infrastructural projects required for the overall development of the border communities.
Prompted by the zeal to overcome the neglect of the border communities in the country in accordance with the requirements of his office, the Executive Secretary of the BCDA, Engr. Numoipre Wills, his team and Senate Committee on State and Local Government Affairs led by Senator Kabiru Gaya, recently undertook a needs assessment tour of most border communities in the country. States visited include: Borno, Adamawa, Lagos, Ogun, Oyo, Bayelsa, Rivers, Cross Rivers, Delta and Benue.
Clinic without beds
It was during one of the visits to a community in Kwande local government area of Benue State that the agency was confronted with a community clinic in Ada, Shangev-Ya district that has no beds. Women gave birth on bamboo beds and mats. In a prompt response the agency took beds and other hospital equipment to the clinic.
As part of their oversight functions, the trip presented more than the committee members bargained for, had to travel part of the journey on motorbikes. Kwande local council has 15 border communities. All situated on the border line of Nigeria and Cameron. The two communities visited by the BCDA and the Senate Committee were Imande-Dura and Ada, communities with agriculture as their mainstay.
At Imande-Dura, the living situation is pathetic. The nearest government primary school to it is in Jato Aka, which is about 24 kilometers away from the village. However, communities on the other side of the border, which is the Republic of Cameron, have most of the facilities lacking in Dura. Although inhabitants of Imande-Dura like other Nigerians, desire a fair share of good governance, many factors continue to deny them such benefits.
Mr Gondor Akor, an opinion leader in Dura who complained that basic social amenities needed to ease the living conditions of the inhabitants were lacking, wondered why such an economic nerve centre of the local government area will be cut off from the mainstream of the state.
Akor wondered, “For an area with such high crop yield in rice, groundnuts and yam production, desires government’s attention for the purpose of harnessing the economic potentials which abound there.” He, therefore, suggested the establishment of cottage industries to harness the huge agricultural proceeds in the area.
Another community leader, Akaaer suggested ways to ameliorate the hardship of the people stressing that as farmers, their most pressing need is access roads. He urged government to intervene in that direction.
“The whole of this community does not have an access road and we are farmers. We find it difficult to transport our produce to the nearest markets. With good roads, we can even sell our produce to Cameron and make more money because Cameron is just on the other side of this mountain,” Akaaer noted.
He lamented the absence of any government school in the area, saying the trend has caused the people to lose faith in the country and its ability to provide for its people. “The only primary school we have here is a private school, which is run under a thatched hut with 78 pupils. Most children, whose parents prefer government schools walk about 28 kilometers daily to acquire education in a government-owned school at Jato Aka in Kwande,” he lamented.
He added that the only private primary school in the community does not open when it rains because it is only the roof that is covered. No door or window shutters. The quality of education as demonstrated by what was written on the chalkboard is poor. Senator Gaya taught the few pupils present in the school when the team visited.
Ada community in their own case lack what can be explained thus; It is just 150 kilometers from Imande-Dura. It shares border with Ububra in Cross River State. Although pregnant women gave birth under the supervision of auxiliary nurses, it was done on mats and bamboo beds.
During the visit, the BCDA presented beds, mattresses, pillows, bed sheets and other medicaments to the clinic to give them a sense of belonging.
A resident of the village, Terfa Aker, lamented that the clinic has only three auxiliary nurses, who attend to the entire health needs of the whole Mbahura community and appealed to government to upgrade the health facility to a hospital, where medical doctors and other qualified health officials could be posted to serve.
Real problems of border communities
The graphic presentation of poor living conditions in the two communities of Dura and Ada, might sound like a fairy tale but it is the true reflection of the absolute neglect of the border communities and the need to tackle it with appropriate funding.
It also shows that government intervention through the BCDA is needed to enable it discharge that responsibility.
The challenges of the border communities, wherever they are revolve around neglect and the need for prompt intervention to assuage the sufferings of the community dwellers.
Sen. Gaya, while speaking during the visit elucidated the point that “the border communities in this country are neglected and one is ashamed to see the living conditions of these people, who are fellow Nigerians. By far, the most daunting challenge of the BCDA is the challenge of funding while the most difficult challenge of the border communities is that of neglect.
The committee is currently working out modalities to attract more funding to the agency through legislative framework to enable it discharge its responsibilities.
Developing the border communities in Nigeria will enhance the patriotic zeal of Nigerians living in these areas to enable them resist and report influx of undesirable elements into the country.
Gaya expressed displeasure over the plight of the communities and called on the federal government to increase the funding of the agency to strengthen its operational capabilities. “The federal government needs to allocate more funds to the agency to be able to carry out its functions of bringing development to the border communities. What I see here is total neglect, no link roads and the basic social amenities are lacking,” he observed.
On his part, Sen. George Akume, a member of the committee and the former governor of Benue State,said the intervention of the senate will be through effective legislation that will compel the three tiers of government to promote sustainable development in the border communities.
Benue to establish commission
Mr. Christopher Afaor, member representing Kwande at the State Assembly said Benue State government is planning to establish a state commission that will oversee development at the border communities. Benue State will have taken a step in the right direction like Cross River State which has a commission which oversees the development of communities in its borders. He added that the state needs partnership with the other tiers of government to achieve development at the border communities.
Mr Hingah Biem, the Permanent Secretary, Benue State Bureau for Internal Affairs warned that the continued neglect of the border communities poses security concerns in the country and alleged that the smuggling of small arms occur through the border communities. Biem, therefore, called for a synergy among the three tiers of government to effectively police the border towns to curtail the trafficking of small arms through them.
It is believed that the establishment of the BCDA, by the federal government is the right step in the right direction but its funding should be made top priority of the government, if the trafficking of small arms and the general insecurity pervading the country will be overcome.
It will therefore be beneficial to this country as a whole if government uses the provision of social and infrastructural amenities to the border communities to solve the problems of insecurity at the various borders.
This can only be achieved when BCDA is well funded to fulfill its mandate.