Hon. Baba Abba Aji, the Executive Chairman of Yusufari Local Government Area of Yobe State speaks on the threat posed to the survival of communities by desertification and how it is forcing communities to relocate, thus cutting access to socio-economic opportunities for the largely agrarian residents of the local government area. With the sand dunes gradually advancing, Baba Abba Aji said in this interview with our reporter, Muhammad Maitela, that communities in the area face danger danger of extinction.
Q: Sir, Yusufari local government has witnessed massive desertification and other environmental threats, what is the local council doing to confront these challenges?
A: The encroachment of desert is actually continuing. Already, some communities in Yusufari Local Government area are in danger despite the Great Green Wall project, efforts of the state government, agencies and Non-governmental Organizations (NGOs) to halt the advancement of the desert. We still need more hands on deck to control desertification through shelter belts and other processes.
If you want to see the real impact of desertification in Yusufari local government go and visit our border with Niger Republic. We have a very long border with about 6 local government areas in Yobe state – Yunusari, Bursari, Bade, Karasuwa, Nguru, and Machina.
So there is the need to focus on finding solutions, and this is the reason why I’m appealing to the Ecological Fund office and the Federal Government to declare state of emergency on desertification in Yusufari local government.
This is necessary because we are under threat of the menace of desertification and we are under threat of climate change.
Q: Tell us the level of damage caused by desertification in the local government area?
I am an engineer not an environmentalist. That is why I cannot assess it, but I can say something about the physical impact and I can show you the villages where desertification have affected and driven them out from their origin. They relocated to other places, and still, it’s advancing, and the communities are moving to other places like Kaska village. When you go to this village you will see the dunes closer to their houses. This situation forced some of them to migrate to Nguru town.
Others are Tulo-Tulo, a village near the border with Niger Republic. The sand dunes are there already. Tulo-Tulo used to be a strong commercial and business center and a very strategic place in Yobe State. There’s also Bula-tura, also a border community with Niger Republic, Sumbar, Moyori and Gumse.
From Bula-tura to Gumse we need shelter belts to hold back the sand dunes from advancing.
There is a programme of sand dunes fixation which entails tree planting to hold down the sand dunes, protect the land. The sand dunes fixation should be speedily executed to prevent the dunes from taking over the oases.
The oases present a beautiful picture amidst the harsh desert conditions. So, it is pertinent to warn that if we fail to execute the dunes fixation programme, it will cover the oasis.
You need to go and take pictures of these oases, the deposit of water, and the agricultural activities taking place within it during drying season. People are growing cassava, sugarcane, groundnut, potatoes, tomatoes, and pepper in large quantities. However, all these farming and commercial activities are now under threat of desertification.
So, there are threats to our oases in Yusufari local government, which is also a threat to economic activities and livelihood of the people living in that area.
Sometimes, an oasis can provide employment opportunities to more than two hundred people, including potash excavation at the end of the raining season. So, when we allow the oases to dry or be taken over by the desert, we will be condemning our people to economic hardships.
Q: What is the effect of drought and shortage of rainfall in the local government area and how are you managing the situation?
Yes, so many people in our communities have been driven by drought, but in reality not drought because drought is a period of cessation of rain. The threats we are experiencing here is desertification. Desertification is gradually affecting our economic activities and this is dangerous to our livelihood.
So, we appeal to the state and federal governments, and the Great Green Wall programme to redouble efforts in mitigating the impact of desertification and rescue us from its menace.
In other areas, Yobe state government is doing a remarkable job in terms of providing social amenities to our people including roads, boreholes for potable drinking water, health facilities, and construction new schools. Not doubt, our people are happy with this gesture.
Q: What is the impact of the joint efforts of the Federal and State Governments in controlling desertification in Yusufari LGA?
Yes, we can see the action plan and efforts made by Yobe state government while trying to protect the land through laws, enlightenment campaigns against cutting down trees and empowering farmers.
When you empower farmers, they cultivate during the rainy season and the grasses that grow will help stem the flow of the desert.
That is where the issue of sand dunes fixation comes. There are some plants that have been planted for the sand dunes fixation, but more needed to be done.
The second challenge is how the sand dunes are threatening to cover the oases. While our people are making their best to cultivate the land, plant trees around the oasis, it is necessary to make more efforts on the sand dunes fixation.
Q: Mr. Chairman, globally, climate change is an issue that requires huge funding to control. What is the situation like in Yusufari local government area?
The state government is making an impact in controlling desertification across the state. The issue of erosion control, the issue of protection of land from degradation, are the things already taking place since the creation of Yusufari local government. Trees are being planted and shelter belts created to control desertification.
Yobe state has prioritized social support and community engagement to drive economic transformation, how is the local council keying to this initiative?
What I will say here is that, the role of local government is to to complement and translate the state government policies, and deliver services to the grassroots. Local government is the government closest to the public, therefore, we are partnering with the state government not only in the areas of potable water for both animal and human consumption, provision of services under health sector, among others.
For example, Yobe state Governor, Hon. Mai Mala Buni has renovated and upgraded about 31 dispensaries and health clinics in Yusufari local government area. All the political wards now have a health clinic or General Hospital, some upgraded from clinic to General Hospital and General Hospital to Specialist. These are the basic needs of our people at the grassroots. Patients used to suffer before reaching health centers, but now it’s history.
That is why we are much delighted with the additional and upgraded health facilities across the local government. It is an excellent gesture to our people.
On our side, we are playing supervisory roles, effectively monitoring and financing the staff, their welfare and salaries.
It is essential to say that we are happy with the provisions of these facilities which have no doubt reduced the mortality rate in rural areas.
That is why our people are happy with Governor Mai Mala Buni for making huge efforts in improving the health sector.
Q: Recently, Gov. Buni launched an agricultural empowerment programme to support Yobe farmers and improve local economy, how has Yusufari local government benefited from this?
In the agricultural sector, the Governor has impacted the lives of people at the grassroots level. The intervention was timely. The farming inputs, equipments, fertilizer and improved seeds given to the farmers came on time, when they needed it most. With the timely distribution of the facilities and inputs, In sha Allah, by the grace of Allah, this year we will have bumper harvest in Yusufari local government.
Every advantage has a disadvantage, due to the heavy rainfall this year, we experienced flooding and erosion leading to building collapse and other disasters. I have received a delegation from the Governor, and from SEMA, who are going round local governments to assess the level of damage caused by the floods. This shows the governor’s commitment to his people at the grassroots.
The Yobe State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA) team was here, and we took them to where buildings collapsed, where they need drainages and where they need assistance from the government.
Q: Have you received and distributed the agric empowerment tools bought by the state government?
I want to tell you that, on Monday, our member in the State House of Assembly, Hon. Hassan Mohammed, who is also the chairman of the distribution committee, alongside the Commissioner of Health, Dr. Mohammed Lawan Gana, myself and other members brought the agric empowerment equipment to Yusufari local government three weeks ago. We took it into custody through our Head of Agriculture and Natural Resources, the items were itemized and kept under security surveillance up to the day of the distribution.
The distribution started on Monday in the presence of the members of the committee mentioned earlier, the representatives of security agencies and Yusufari Emirate Council.
Farmers drawn from each ward in the local government received the empowerment packages which include improved seeds, fertilizer, solar water pumps, along with other equipments for farming. They were given out free of charge. The beneficiaries were not to sale any of the items.
This is a remarkable achievement of Governor Buni. The timely gesture has made the rural populace very happy.
