Governor Babagana Zulum of Borno State has commissioned rebuilt houses and a border market for teachers and returnee Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs).
Inaugurating the Banki International Market (BIM), yesterday, in Banki border town, Zulum disclosed: “The remodelled border market was destroyed by Boko Haram terrorists along with other public structures, including teachers’ houses.”
According to him, the market at the border with Cameroon, comprising 128 shops and over 440 market stalls, promotes and sustains trans-border trade with the neighbouring countries.
He continued: “The market will provide a conducive and organised trading environment for Small and Medium-scale Entrepreneurs (SMEs) from the two countries. It is equipped with modern facilities for water supply and sanitation.”
The teachers’ housing estate, he added, comprises five units of two-bedroom bungalow houses to enhance teachers’ welfare and improve their productivity in school.
Zulum also laid the foundation stone for a new international market dedicated to cattle business in Banki.
The Banki cattle market, which was the largest in Lake Chad region before it was deserted due to terrorists’ activities, will be remodelled to meet international standards.
He noted that traders from Chad, Central Africa Republic and Cameroon deserted the border market since the escalation of the crisis.
The military, he said, liberated Banki and other border communities in 2017.
At an event attended by the Governor of the Far North Region of Cameroon and Chairman Forum of Governors of the Lake Chad Basin Region, Mijinyawa Bakari, he said: “We recently completed the construction of a cattle market in Gambouru and Ngala communities.
“We will ensure the prompt release of funds for the building of an international cattle market project,” assuring that the market would be completed in three months.
He, therefore, urged authorities in Cameroon to join him in promoting trans-border trade.
