Katsina State Governor, Malam Dikko Umaru Radda has argued that the development of border communities across the country by the federal government is necessary to tackle biting poverty and rampant insecurity.
The governor stated this when he paid a courtesy visit to the Executive Secretary of the Border Community Development Agency, Captain Junaid Abdulahi, in his office.
Appreciating the agency for the good job it has been carrying out in Katsina, Radda however lamented that poverty was rife in several border communities in Katsina and other parts of the country.
“It is regrettable that border communities in Katsina who are benefiting from regular economic faces are battling with poverty. And this unfortunate situation has made them porous for the illegal movement of illicit drugs, arms and ammunition. Thus compounding the menaces of banditry and kidnapping in Katsina.
“There is free movement because of the connivance of the border communities with the criminals, so the development of the border community is one of the major priorities. And I think this agency need to be funded because of its significant importance to the economic and bilateral relationship between our country and our neighbours and we know what positive effect establishing a good relationship within the border community would bring to the country and the security of our nation,’’ he said.
Governor Radda further appreciated the agency for doing a lot of projects in the state from 2015 till date and disclosed that the state has seen more than 50 different projects from the agency ranging from school classrooms, boreholes and other various projects within the border communities.
He also thanked the agency for sighting the zonal office of the agency in Katsina, noting that it was a great honour done to the people of the state.
He disclosed that the state was spending much of its budget to tackle insecurity and as such appreciates the agency’s efforts to assist in developing Katsina.
Captain Junaid Abdullahi while responding, said Katsina state was one of the principal stakeholders of the Border Community Agency as a border state and that their agency, has since inception, executed quite a numbr of projects in the state and has since set up a zonal office in Kastina state to overlook their activities.
‘’It is our hope that we should collaborate with your government to raise the living standards of the communities in the border areas of Katsina state.
It has been identified that most of the insecurity bedeviling this country came as a result of the poverty across the border communities”.
He assured the governor of their agency’s readiness to collaborate with the Kastina state government to see how they can assist the boder communities across the state.
