Hon. Terseer Ugbor, Member, House of Representatives, Kwande/Ushongu Federal Constituency, Tuesday said only government presence and the activation of the export processing zone to allow for industrial and commercial activities can stem the incessant farmers-herders conflicts in the area.
Ugbor also called for the establishment of a proper border post in Kwande border with Cameroon.
He explained that government presence would provide the needed spike for economic revolution given the potential in the area including solid minerals and its international gateway with Cameroon.
The lawmaker who briefed Journalists in Abuja on the recent attacks by alleged militant Fulani herdsmen said with beehives of economic activities in the area, it would be difficult for such criminality to continue.
He stressed that the area has a high economic potential that could boost the country’s Gross Domestic Product, GDP if properly harnessed.
The lawmaker pointed out that the area which has become a hub of attacks now has great potential to turn around the fortune of the state and the country.
He said there are lots of advantages that can be derived with improved security at the border with Cameroon.
He therefore said with more boots on the ground and other infrastructure in place peace will return to the area and albeit Benue State.
He said: “Why we are here today and why I decided to call this press briefing is to let the government of the country and of course the government of Benue State and our people at home to know that our region of Benue State is a border community with so much potential to become a major economic hub for Nigeria and the people of Benue State.
“We have clamoured over the last few years that the international border with Cameroon through Benue State should be properly established and the export processing zone which was approved many years ago for that region should be activated and industrial activities and commercial activities opened up for the region so that that region does not become a crisis hotspot and the country can reap the benefits of international trade, reap the benefit of industrialisation with the presence of the power plant, with the presence of an airport and then with the natural resources and the access roads around the area into the international community.
“It’s a very rich and prime area for economic activities and economic prosperity for Nigeria and for Benue State”.
He pointed out: “Especially that that region has also been recently found to have natural resources like gold, lithium and other precious stones. “So there’s a lot of illegal mining going on in that region,” he added.
The lawmaker however said the major challenge remains insecurity, which has also distorted the state’s role as the country’s food basket.
He said: “As you may be aware, just recently we had, over the Christmas, 2024 Christmas season, we had an attack by the bandit Fulani Herdsmen in Kwande local government, which is a border community with Cameroon. And this attack took place between December 25th all through to the new year. It got so bad that the bandits had the audacity to attack an immigration outpost in that community and burnt down this outpost, which was the only standing security presence that we had in that community, that border community with Cameroon.
“This immigration outpost did not necessarily have equipment or arms to defend itself, but at least it provided a semblance of a security presence in the place.
“ Just yesterday to be precise, there was another killing that took place by the same Fulani bandits, who are suspected to be based and camped around the Kashimbila area. From the last count, we heard that about 13 persons have been killed and their bodies have been recovered. And you know the Kashimbila area is where we have the Kashimbila power plant, the dam, located. And there’s also an airport that has also just recently been commissioned there.And of course, there’s a university being built and other national infrastructure coming up around that axis. “And of course, with this international border, you may also be aware that the community in Turan, in Kwande Local Government, also has a United Nations refugee camp, where the refugees from Cameroon who are running away from the Ambazonian fighters have been lodged for protection by the United Nations. So this thing has a lot of dimensions to it that if not checked, will become a major crisis point for our country.”
He stressed that the actuation is a really dire one for the country and for the people of Benue State as a whole and not just for the constituency of Kwande, Ushongu but across Benue State.
He went on, “So this meeting is to make an appeal to the federal government of Nigeria under our dear president, President Bola Tinubu who is doing very well in terms of stabilising the country in terms of reforms, policies and other areas of our national life.
“But the area of security unfortunately in Benue State, we need more support, we need more men on the ground, we need more boots on the ground and we need to incorporate technology so that we can curb the insecurity that has started in Benue years ago and seems to be getting to levels where if not checked on time, we’ll have a big problem on our hands.
“ I believe that with the support of the state government and the federal government working together with the neighbouring and bordering communities and states to Benue State, we’ll find a lasting solution to this problem.
“But for me as a representative and as a policy expert looking at this issue from a different dimension, I believe that the solution to this crisis is economic development and economic prosperity for people. The solution to this problem is to open up the region to economic development, to industrial activities, to commercial activities.
“We need to open up the farmlands there. We need to protect those farmlands as an asset for Benue State. Our asset in Benue is our farm, it’s our farm produce.
“So we need to see our farmlands as assets, just like the Niger Delta people see the oil as their own asset. Our asset in Benue State is our agriculture. We are the food basket of Nigeria.
“So until we begin to treat the agricultural space, the farmlands and the open spaces that produce the food that we consume in Nigeria, Benue State produces, we are the number one producer of so many of the food crops that we eat in Nigeria. So our food, our land, our agriculture is our own asset and it’s our contribution to our country Nigeria. So it is until we see that our assets, our agriculture as an asset, and we protect it as a national asset and as a state asset, and we’ve deployed the required resources to protect this asset and expand this asset, industrialise this asset, we will continue to face this problem.”
