Boko Haram caused $5.9b destruction in Borno, says World Bank

The World Bank has put the cost of the large-scale destruction caused by Boko Haram insurgency in Borno State at $5.9 billion, with an estimation of 20, 000 people killed.

The report is a part of the Bank’s  Post-Insurgency Recovery and Peacebuilding Assessment, an intervention programme involving the World Bank, European Union and the UN with six northeastern states.

Assessments in each of the states were carried out in areas including education, healthcare, water, sanitation, housing, municipal buildings, energy, environment, transport, economy and business.

It is unclear how much the World Bank and others are unwilling to commit to the rebuilding of the state and other parts of the northeast ravaged by the insurgency.

In a recent interview with the Guardian on the opening day of the 11th edition of the Economist Summit at the Intercontinental Hotel in Lagos, Governor of Borno State,  Kashim Shettima said he was not aware of the actual size of the funds that would be entrusted into rebuilding the region, but with the commitment of President Buhari to the process, he was certain the results of the process would start manifesting soon.

“I don’t know the actual quantum of funds that would come our way, but we are very certain that with the commitment of President Buhari towards the rebuilding of the North East, in the next couple of months, we will start seeing the results,” he said.

An AFP reports says the majority of the more than 2 million internally displaced persons came from the state.

In the 27 local government districts that make up Borno, the fighting destroyed or damaged:

– 956,453 (nearly 30 percent) out of 3,232,308 private houses

– 5,335 classrooms and school buildings in 512 primary, 38 secondary and two tertiary institutions

– 1,205 municipal, local government or ministry buildings

– 76 police stations

– 35 electricity offices

– 14 prison buildings

– 201 health centres

– 1,630 water sources

– 726 power substations and distribution lines.

In some areas such as Bama, the destruction has been near-total, with only 20 percent of houses unscathed.

The report also estimated parks, game, forest and grazing reserves, orchards, river basins and lakes have been poisoned in 16 of the 27 areas, and 470,000 livestock killed or stolen.

The source close to the Borno state government said the report has yet to be approved by the bank and a decision was expected soon on funding.

But given the cost of the damage — about $5.9 billion — and Nigeria’s struggling economy caused by the global oil shock, matching external funding for reconstruction could be problematic, the source added.

The World Bank in Nigeria declined to comment.