The Yobe State Governor, Ibrahim Gaidam, said the Boko Haram war displaced three hundred thousand inhabitants with the destruction of one thousand and ninety-eight private and public structures.

These damages according to Governor Gaidam cost government over N15 billion.

The Governor made the revelation when he received the Chairman and members of the House of Representatives Committee on Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) and that of Emergency and Disaster Preparedness who are in the state on a fact-finding mission on humanitarian issues in the state.

The Governor, who regrets the calamitous destruction said the money wasted would have been channelled into developmental efforts in the areas of road construction, water supply, health care services, education, among others.

“The activities of the insurgents have actually destroyed 1,098 public buildings and private property and assets in form of buildings, shops, vehicles, livestock among others all worth billions of naira. This was in addition to displacement of over 3000,000 people in affected Local Governments in the state.”

He called on the committees to help the state recover such losses from the Federal Government so as to improve the living conditions of its people.

With all the destructions the Governor revealed that he never hampered the provision of dividends of democracy to the people as payment of salaries, construction of roads, schools, and hospitals among others continue to be given the needed attention.

“In consideration of the fact that the immediate past federal administration failed to finance the fight effectively and fully, the state government had deployed meagre resources at its disposal to support the campaign against insurgency in areas of payment of allowances to security operatives, procurement of vehicles, logistics, medical assistance to security operatives and vigilante groups, maintenance of vehicles, all totaling N13.7billion.

“In addition to this, the government incurred expenditures in the provision of relief materials and medical assistance to victims of the insurgency, thereby bringing the total of state government intervention to over N15.8 billion has at the first quarter of the year,” he lamented.

He commended the House of Representatives for their commendations in his roles in the emergency responses since the commencement of the Boko Haram insurgency.

The Chairman of the House Committee on Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs), Hon Sani Zoro, said the House has commended the state government for its roles in the recovery process of the IDPs and revealed that the House will ensure monies spent by the state during the insurgency are refund.

“We at the House of Representatives are sad that such monies which ordinarily should have been channelled into developmental processes are wasted on avoidable war like the Boko Haram and we will ensure that such resources be refunded to the state to fast tract development in the state.

“Let me commend you for all the reconstruction and rehabilitation work you are doing to fully Fast track the resettlement of the IDPs in the state and together we will ensure all the displaced are fully settled in their ancestral homes,” Sani Zoro said.

The Chairman then presented the commendation letter from the House to the Governor as the Governor, in turn, gave him copies of the report compiled by the state government of the destruction caused to the state by the Boko Haram insurgency. (Channels TV)

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