By Abdullahi Alhassan
Borno, Nigeria — June 7, 2026 (Series News Online)- Borno State Governor, Professor Babagana Umara Zulum, has appealed to the Federal Government to intervene and stop the planned disposal of functional machinery at the Chad Basin Development Authority, CBDA, saying the move would undermine agricultural recovery in the state.
The Governor’s position followed reports that certain individuals were planning to sell off heavy equipment from CBDA facilities and booster stations in northern Borno as scrap metal.
The CBDA was set up by the Federal Government to exploit the marine and agricultural potential of the Lake Chad Basin. Its mandate covers irrigation farming, livestock production, water supply, and power generation. The Federal Ministry of Water Resources recently reconstituted the agency’s leadership to reactivate its operations and strengthen food security across Borno and the wider North-East region.
Governor Zulum insisted that the machinery earmarked for auction was still operational and central to the agency’s work.
“The Borno State Government has been informed that some individuals are trying to move heavy equipment from CBDA sites and booster stations in Northern Borno under the pretext of scrap metal sales. This equipment was purchased by the Federal Government at great expense and remains serviceable. Auctioning it serves no purpose and will weaken the CBDA while damaging the state’s agricultural value chain,” Zulum said.
He identified the items at risk to include irrigation facilities, booster plants, drilling rigs, power generating sets, tractors, bulldozers, harvesters, pipelines, and crop processing units.
“Removing these machines in any form amounts to shutting down the CBDA and stripping it of its capacity,” Zulum said.
The Governor also connected illegal metal collection to insecurity, cautioning that the trade fuels insurgent activities.
“At a time when the Federal Government is intensifying efforts to end the Boko Haram insurgency, resettle displaced persons, and rebuild agriculture and rural economies, certain unscrupulous traders are working against those goals. The people of Borno will not accept the removal of public assets that belong to all citizens,” Zulum said.
He stressed that metal scavenging in the Lake Chad region is often linked to terrorist networks.
“There is a clear link between insurgency, crime, and illegal metal scavenging in Borno. This activity in the Chad Basin and other vulnerable areas is either carried out by, or connected to, Boko Haram and Islamic State West Africa Province operatives active around Lake Chad, Sambisa Forest, and the Timbuktu Triangle. Permitting the illegal sale of state assets would amount to financing Boko Haram/ISWAP,” Zulum said.
Governor Zulum reiterated that Borno’s prohibition on scrap metal business remains in effect to protect government property.
“Our policy banning scrap metal trading is still active. Criminal elements with ties to BH/ISWAP often use this trade to vandalise and sell working equipment and metal assets in the state. No individual or group will be allowed to remove metals from Borno. After a decade of insurgency, we are rebuilding and these assets must serve as the foundation of our agricultural and industrial growth,” Zulum said.
He urged the Presidency and the Federal Ministry of Water Resources to reverse the auction plan and tasked security agencies with protecting CBDA infrastructure.
“I therefore call on the Presidency and the Federal Ministry of Water Resources to direct the CBDA to abandon the decision to auction its equipment, assets and facilities. I also urge the military and other security agencies to remain alert within the CBDA operational areas and across the state to ensure public resources are not destroyed or stolen,” Zulum said.
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