Insurgency : Gov Zulum announces N600 per litre petrol price in Borno communities

Borno State Governor Babagana Zulum has unveiled a plan to subsidise petrol for farmers in areas impacted by the Boko Haram insurgency.

Speaking in Bama town during the launch of farm input distribution to over 5,000 farmers previously displaced by the conflict, Zulum announced that petrol, which costs between N1,000 and N1,200 per litre in Maiduguri, will be provided to farmers at a reduced rate of N600 per litre.

“This initiative aims to ease the financial burdens on farming communities grappling with the economic hardships caused by years of insurgency,” Zulum explained.

The governor highlighted that a similar subsidy programme introduced last year in Damasak, Mobar Local Government Area, significantly boosted food production and improved livelihoods.

“One of the major challenges facing farming communities here, particularly with irrigation farming, is the high cost of fuel,” Zulum said. “The government will procure petroleum products and sell them to farmers at a subsidised rate. The Commissioner for Agriculture will collaborate with the Brigade Commander to ensure that the petrol reaches farmers in Bama town promptly.”

In addition to the subsidy, the governor distributed farming materials, including 2,000 bags of blended NPK fertiliser, 1,000 water pumps, 620 gasoline pumps, 380 solar water pumps, 1,000 sprayers, 800 rolls of flexible hoses, and 1,000 litres of pesticides. Farmers also received various seeds.

Zulum noted that his administration has already constructed over 100 tube wells to support irrigation farming and approved the construction of 250 more. During his visit to Darajama and Goniri villages in Bama Local Government Area, Zulum assessed ongoing reconstruction projects and expressed satisfaction with the progress, while stressing that his government remains committed to preventing any sabotage of resettlement efforts.

The governor also thanked the federal government for its significant support in rebuilding and resettling communities affected by insurgency.