By Ndahi Marama, Maiduguri

The Executive Secretary of Borno Geographic Information System (BOGIS), Engineer Adam Bababe has inaugurated a 13-man committee saddled with the responsibility of demarcating boundaries and controlling developments along river banks and buffer zones or waterways in Maiduguri, the state capital and it’s envious with immediate effects.

While inaugurating the committee members on Tuesday at the BOGIS Board Room, Bababe said, the Chairman of the Committee would be no any other person than a Town Planner technocrat, TPl. Liman Gana Mustapha, while TPl. Modu Choromi will serve as Secretary.

Other members of the Committee include a Police Officer, ASP Abba Bukar, legal adviser of the agency and host of other members.

He warned people to stop developing structures along the waterways and buffer zones, as 99.9% of structures/properties hitherto developed, were in the year 2020 marked illegal without government titles and approvals.

Recalled that on 10th September this year, a devastating flood has ravaged many parts of Maiduguri metropolis with unspecified number of deaths, as critical infrastructures worth billions of naira submerged following collapse of some dyke at Alau Dam and illegal structures on waterways which aggravated to the disaster.

Bababe added that the state government will not pay compensation to any demolished property along waterways or buffer zones that have no legal title or approval made by the relevant authorities.

He stressed that, records available at the agency indicated that over 1,300 illegal structures or property belonging to the people from 2020 to date have been marked for demolition, unfortunately, even after the disaster, many people whose houses were swept away, trooped in and started reconstruction to further cause harm than good in future.

He noted that the committee has two weeks duration to carry out its assignment, and to submit it’s recommendations for approval on the demarcation of boundaries and developments along the waterways, pointing out that, about 99.9% of properties illegally developed and without government approval along the waterways and buffer zones at risks without any compensation.

“No title, no compensation. The government will not pay anybody without a title. It is a covenant between the government and it’s citizens to have titles as enshrined in the Borno State Land Use Act/Law of 1975/1976.

“But where there is title, there is nothing government can do. The Land Use Act is very clear about this. And we have warned people. We even marked some structures built against the Act and without permission since the year 2020, unfortunately, all our efforts fell on deaf ears”. Bababe lamented.

According to him, henceforth, any offender found breaching the Land Use Act and orders of the agency, will be panelized accordingly, and will be made to face the full wrath of the law, as such misconduct has resulted in the death of many people during artificial disasters.

The Executive Secretary said the committee has the following Terms of r
Reference (TOR); which is to review the current buffer zones along the river banks of rivers Yedzaram and Ngaddabul and update according to reality on the ground.

Secondly he said, is to identify and mark all developments that fall on the identified zones, and thirdly, to produce detailed plans of the rivers, its banks and buffer zones for Executive approval.

Others include, but are not limited to any measure in protecting and planning rivers within Maiduguri Metropolis and its environs.
And lastly, to proffer any assignment the Committee deems fit for approval by the state government.

The Committee he added has a time frame of two (2) weeks to submit it’s report.

In his remark, the Committee Chairman, Liman Gana Mustapha thanked the state governor, Babagana Zulum and the agency for finding them worthy to serve in this capacity, even as he assured that the committee will carry out its assignments diligently without any fear or favour in the overall interest of the state government and the people of the state.

He also pledged to demarcate boundaries and make appropriate recommendations to the state government for executive approval.