Zulum Pushes To Reopen Baga–Chad Waterway, Warns Against Illegal Auction Of Chad Basin Assets

The long-abandoned water route between Baga in northern Borno State and neighbouring Chad may soon spring back to life, as Governor Babagana Umara Zulum intensifies efforts to restore commerce and economic activities across the Lake Chad region.

During a visit to Baga on Saturday, Zulum held high-level consultations with military commanders and security officials on plans to clear the strategic waterway that has remained largely inaccessible for years due to insurgency and insecurity.

The governor said discussions centred on practical steps needed to secure the route and facilitate the movement of goods and people between Nigeria and Chad – a development that could significantly boost livelihoods in communities devastated by years of conflict.

“Our visit to Baga was to interface with the Nigerian military to discuss the modalities for clearing waterways from Baga to the Republic of Chad,” Zulum told journalists after the meeting.

He expressed optimism that the clearance operation would commence soon, noting that both the Nigerian and Chadian governments were already working together on arrangements to enable the smooth movement of commodities across the border.

The proposed reopening is seen as a major economic lifeline for communities around Lake Chad, where fishing, farming and cross-border trade have historically sustained thousands of families. The disruption of these activities by insurgent violence contributed to economic decline, displacement and widespread humanitarian challenges across the region.

Security experts and local stakeholders believe the restoration of the route could help reconnect markets, lower transportation costs and encourage the return of legitimate commercial activities that once flourished between Nigeria, Chad, Niger and Cameroon.

Beyond the security discussions, Zulum inspected several key projects in Kukawa Local Government Area aimed at accelerating post-conflict recovery. The projects include a general hospital, a mega primary school and the High Islamic College.

The High Islamic College is designed to provide educational opportunities for out-of-school children and Almajiri pupils through a curriculum that combines Islamic and Western education. Graduates of the institution will be eligible for admission into universities, polytechnics and colleges of education across the country.

The governor also unveiled plans to support local economic recovery through agriculture. He announced that farming tools, agricultural implements and improved seedlings would soon be distributed to farmers, while returnee fishing communities would receive assistance to rebuild their livelihoods.

The planned reopening of the Baga–Chad waterway forms part of broader efforts by the Borno State Government to stabilise communities affected by more than a decade of insurgency. It also aligns with ongoing regional initiatives aimed at restoring security, encouraging resettlement and reviving economic activities across the Lake Chad basin.

For many residents, the reopening of the waterway represents more than a transportation project; it is viewed as a symbol of recovery and a pathway to renewed prosperity for communities seeking to rebuild after years of conflict and isolation.

In a separate development, Governor Zulum called on the Federal Government to protect critical assets and heavy equipment belonging to the Chad Basin Development Authority (CBDA), warning that attempts to dispose of serviceable machinery as scrap metal could undermine agricultural development and security efforts in the North-East.

The governor’s appeal follows reports that some individuals are allegedly seeking to auction equipment and facilities located at the CBDA headquarters and booster stations across northern Borno under the guise of scrap metal disposal.

Established by the Federal Government to harness the agricultural and water resources of the Lake Chad Basin, the CBDA plays a strategic role in irrigation farming, livestock development, water supply and rural economic growth.

The authority was recently reconstituted by the Federal Ministry of Water Resources as part of efforts to revive its operations and strengthen food security and livelihoods in Borno and the wider North-East region.

In a statement issued by the Directorate of Information, Ministry of Information and Internal Security, Zulum described the reported auction plans as counterproductive and capable of crippling the authority’s operations.

“It has come to the attention of the Borno State Government that some unscrupulous elements are attempting to cart away the heavy equipment domiciled at the CBDA premises and booster stations across Northern Borno in the name of scrap metal auctioning,” the governor said.

According to him, the equipment was procured by the Federal Government at considerable cost and remains serviceable.

“There is no reason whatsoever to auction them, as doing so will decapitate the CBDA and cripple the agricultural value chain in our state,” he added.

Among the assets reportedly targeted for disposal are irrigation stations, booster plants, drilling machines, power-generation facilities, tractors, bulldozers, combined harvesters, pipelines and crop-processing equipment.

Zulum argued that removing such equipment would effectively amount to decommissioning the agency and jeopardising ongoing efforts to revive agricultural production in communities recovering from years of insurgency.

The governor also linked illegal metal scavenging to insecurity in the state, noting that scrap metal activities have often been associated with criminal networks operating in conflict-prone areas.

He said there was a connection between insurgency, criminality and the illegal trade in metals in parts of Borno, warning that allowing public assets to be dismantled and sold could inadvertently benefit terrorist groups operating around the Lake Chad Basin, Sambisa Forest and the Timbuktu Triangle.

While acknowledging the Federal Government’s efforts to defeat insurgency, facilitate the resettlement of displaced persons and restore economic activities, Zulum cautioned that the alleged disposal of strategic assets would undermine those gains.

“While the Federal Government of Nigeria is working assiduously to defeat the Boko Haram insurgency, fast-track the mass resettlement of internally displaced persons and revamp agriculture and rural livelihood, some unscrupulous elements and heartless vendors are working to frustrate the vision of the Federal Government,” he said.

The governor reiterated that Borno State’s ban on scrap metal activities remains in force, insisting that the trade has often been used as a cover for the vandalisation and sale of valuable public infrastructure.

“We shall never allow any person or group to remove any metal from our state. We are recovering from a decade of insurgency, and we can service and recover our metals to serve as the agricultural and industrial backbone of our dear state,” he stated.

Zulum therefore urged the Presidency and the Federal Ministry of Water Resources to intervene and halt any plans to dispose of CBDA assets, while also calling on the military and other security agencies to intensify surveillance around the authority’s facilities and other strategic locations across the state.

He maintained that preserving the CBDA’s equipment is essential not only for agricultural recovery and food security but also for safeguarding public investments and supporting long-term peacebuilding efforts in Borno State.