Returnee communities in Borno State have resolved to strengthen their resilience to Boko Haram attacks by embracing irrigation/dry season farming to engage themselves in agricultural production.

The Federal Government had through the National Commission for Refugees, Migrants and Internally Displaced Persons (NCRMI), supplied the returnees and IDPs in the state with irrigation/dry season farming inputs and implements to resuscitate agricultural production in their communities.

A cross section of the returnees and IDPs in Mafa, Konduga,  Jere local government areas as well as the Maiduguri metropolis told Kanem Trust that they had resolved to resuscitate their agricultural production through irrigation/dry season farming in spite of sporadic attacks by the insurgents surrounding their communities.

“If I say I will not go back to my farm for fear of being killed by Boko Haram, for how many years will I wait?” Bashir Musa of Mafa LGA queried

“Should I wait for a distant future time when we pray, the insurgents stop killing and chasing us away from our farms, harvest the produce and elope into their haven in the jungle before I start fending for myself?

“We have to strengthen resilience to attacks to start cultivating our food. So I hope to restart cultivating my rice and vegetable farms.”

Muhammad Kaumi from Konduga Local Government Area said he would die when God willed that he would, so he had resolved to use the inputs and implements he had been supplied with to cultivate his farm during the dry season.

“If we continue to be scared of being killed by the insurgents in our farms, we will end up being killed one day by another form of Boko Haram, and that is starvation’’

He said this was because supplies from the government and NGOs were fast dwindling to the level of insufficiency to guarantee the barest survival

‘’The situation now compels IDPs and returnees to device veritable livelihood rebuilding and sustenance means and irrigation/dry season farming, using the inputs and implements we have been supplied with I’d one of such means.

“Yes insurgents kill some farmers in their farms and cart away their harvested produce, but does that mean if that happens in the wet or dry season we should not farm?” he also queried

“No!  you must feed because nobody will provide you with enough to feed your family,  do you must strengthen resilience to go searching for food all year round.”

Irrigation/dry season farming inputs and implements, included seedlings comprising 480 bags of rice,  550 bags each of soya beans,  Groundnut,  wheat,  beans and maize as well 293 bags of sorghum and 60 bags of millet.

Other inputs and implements comprised 551 irrigation pumping machines, 3321 rakes, 503 sprayers, 3170 hoes,  wheelbarrows,  570 pesticides and 680 gallons of herbicides.

Handing over the inputs and implements to the representative of the state government and permanent secretary of the RRR ministry,  Safiya Umar Farouq Federal Commissioner,  National Refugees Commission, said government would continue to provide opportunities for persons of concern to regain their dignity and return to their host communities.