Gov. Babagana Zulum of Borno has approved the construction of 1,000 houses for displaced communities at Darajamal and Mayanti communities in the Bama Local Government Area of the state.

Mr Zulum, who gave the approval on Wednesday during an assessment visit to Bani, said infrastructure should be completed within four months.

“We are here to implement a policy statement I made about one year ago to resettle some of our IDPs, particularly in Bama and Banki.

“These are two locations in Borno that have a large number of IDPs. For this, we want to construct 500 houses each here in Darajamal and Mayanti, this should be the first phase of the construction exercise,” Zulum said.

He explained that in addition to the construction of the houses, the government would provide social infrastructure, including primary school, health centre and water facilities, among other basic needs of the community.

Mr Zulum also announced that resettlement packages, including food and non-food items and cash, would be distributed to the returnees to support their means of livelihood.

The governor assured that the government would work towards resettling displaced persons currently taking refuge in Bama.

He noted that the return of people at Banki junction would go a long way in reviving commercial activities and providing job opportunities to thousands of residents.

According to him, the government will work with the military to secure communities and enhance civic authority so that the people can pick up the pieces of their lives.

The agrarian communities were displaced by Boko Haram insurgents in 2014, forcing most of the residents to take refuge in Bama and Banki towns.

(NAN)