Over 50 villages deserted due to bandits’ attacks, says Niger governor

Abubakar Bello, governor of Niger, says no fewer than 50 villages in five LGAs of the state have been deserted due to attacks.

The state has witnessed a series of abductions and attacks in recent times.

Speaking at the opening of a two-day training workshop for local government directors and revenue officers in Minna, on Monday, Bello said there are over 3,000 internally displaced persons in the state capital, and that the revenue generated by the state cannot cater to its numerous needs.

“Presently, we have over 3,000 internally displaced persons camping in Minna, aside from the ones we have in local government areas. Where do we get the resources to take care of them?” he asked.

“It is time we cut down on our expenditure, come together to see how we can address issues of ghost workers and those looting the state of its resources.”

Niger, with N10.5 billion generated as revenue in 2020, ranked among the 10 states with the lowest IGR for the past year.

Bello, however, warned workers that the government will not hesitate to sack those who are not adding value to the system.

While noting that the workshop is coming at a time when the country is witnessing a drastic fall in revenue earnings because of the COVID-19 and insecurity, he said the present revenue being generated cannot sustain the state’s developmental aspirations.

He explained that the state government must work within the law to augment the dwindling revenue collection to finance its activities.

Bello added that the state will no longer continue to borrow to survive.

He also advised the participants to pay attention and contribute to developing strategies of enhancing IGR at local government levels.