Borno to demolish 1,300 buildings over flood

On Wednesday, Borno State Government announced that 1,300 houses standing on waterways and river banks in the state capital, Maiduguri, had been marked for demolition.

Parts of the state capital have been submerged by flood since the commencement of the rainy season. Speaking during a press conference on Wednesday in Maiduguri, the Executive Secretary, Borno Geographic Information Service, Adam Bababe, said the situation called for urgent attention.

Bababe added that his agency, which was inaugurated about five months ago, had generated about N200m as ground rents since it came on board.

The BOGIS boss also cleared the air on the proposed demolition of certain churches, noting that mosques built on waterways were equally marked for demolition.

He said, “There is nothing like a witch-hunt or religious sentiment in the demolition exercise; we had fruitful discussions with the leadership of the Christian Association of Nigeria in Borno and they showed understanding that the action is to save homes from being submerged by flood.

“Over 1,300 houses that were built on waterways have been marked for demolition. If we leave the houses that way without removal, many houses in the metropolis will be submerged by flood.”