Boko Haram And Borno State Economy

Before now, 50-year-old Rebecca Mamza was a big-time fish trader at the Baga Road Fish Market in Maiduguri.

In fact, she controlled a section of the market, where she made sales that fetched her a lot money every week.

Her suppliers came from across Nigeria’s borders with Cameroun and Chad Republic, while buyers came from parts of the federation.

All that is now history! Mamza’s fish business is in ruins and she is now virtually penniless; no thanks to the Boko Haram crises in Borno.

“Some months ago, everybody around here knew me as a big-time fish dealer but now, things have changed greatly; I am just happy to be alive, as things have gone terribly bad.

“In short, I have nothing more; I am just struggling to survive,’’ she moans.

Mamza traces her problem to the crises provoked by the Boko Haram in the last few months, especially the closure of Nigerian borders with Chad and Cameroun.

“When the borders were closed by government, our business went down; I resorted to trading in local supplies of fish to meet demands from our customers from parts of the federation.

“Soon after, armed bandits began to raid the market and one day, I became a victim. They snatched all the customers’ money in my possession, amounting to about seven millions of naira.”

On other occasions, she recalls, some unknown persons attacked the market with guns, explosives and other dangerous weapons, killing and maiming several people, while destroying goods.

“As a result of these, I have abandoned the market to stay alive but jobless, and without any capital again,” she laments.

Malam Zubairu Umaru, is a market leader at the Gamboru Market, also in Maiduguri.

He laments that most traders had fled the market out of fear of gunmen, who attacked them often and without notice.

“A number of traders in the market have either turned to menial jobs or returned to their villages, as they now have nothing to do with the market.

He recalls the case of a young man who lost four shops stocked with merchandise in a fell swoop.

“His entire merchandise was destroyed during last month’s attack at the market; many others lost between one and three shops,’’ he says.

Umaru laments that since the Boko Haram members started attacking markets, things have never been the same again for the traders and their businesses.

Elsewhere at the Monday Market, also in Maiduguri, traders have managed to remain in business, although the level of sales remains dismal for the traders.

“Everybody is aware of the economic situation in the town; many people have been forced out of business for no fault of theirs.

“More often than not, we traders come to the market and return home without making any sales,’’ Mallam Abdullahi Duru, one of the remaining traders, says.

Besides the traders at the markets, other businessmen and women in the state also have tales of economic woe to relate.

Across Maiduguri, many corner shops, business centres and other business outfits have shut down because of security concerns.

Hajiya Yagunsu Aisami, a business woman in Galadima, recalls that she used to operate an eatery near the railway terminus, where she made sales of over N50,000 daily.

“I was making an average of N50,000 sales daily because the place was a beehive of activities for people. I had hundreds of customers at my ‘joint’.

“From my profits, I bought landed property and even became a major food supplier to many government departments,” she recounts.

Aisami, nonetheless, bemoans her current circumstances, noting that the whole area has been deserted by the residents because of the Boko Haram crisis.

“It is sad to say that the entire area is ‘dead’ now; the shops, supermarkets, brothels and even some residential apartments have shut down.

“Right from Abbaganaram to Makera, through to Galadima, you will find closed shops, offices, hotels, business centres and the likes. Save for a few shops in Kumshe and the West End, everywhere is now ‘dry’.

“The only thing you find in these places is the heavy presence of security agents, who conduct searches on vehicles and passersby.

“Even the NNPC Mega Station near New Prison is under lock and key,’’ she adds.

Aisami laments about the current situation of things, saying that it had started affecting her personal health.

“I developed high blood pressure without knowing it last September because of the hardships I now face. I have over 15 persons to feed in my house as my husband died in 1990,” she moans.

Aisami is, nonetheless, pessimistic that the situation will end soon, since things seem to degenerate every passing day. She says that she now sells kunu, pure water and zobo to eke out a living.

As is very evident across Maiduguri, the capital of Borno State, money has become increasingly scarce for most residents, thus having a negative spiral effect on businesses.

“Most people have been pushed out of their businesses; all they do now is buy things on credit and this is finishing what is left of any business,’’ laments Aisami.

On his part, Mallam Ibrahim Isa, a cell-phone battery charger, whose shop at London Ciki was burnt down last year during the crisis, has now resorted to other menial jobs to feed his family.

He recalls that his shop was destroyed on July 23, last year, in a bomb blast during a gun battle between soldiers and some unknown gunmen.

“I was just lucky to be outside during the blast and battle, otherwise I could have died,’’ Isa says.

Alhaji Iliyasu Yakub, a mattress dealer, who owned some shops at Galadima, Kasuwan Shanu and Ummarari, claims that all his shops have been closed, as business has been crippled by the raging crisis.

“Although the goods inside the shops are still intact, I cannot go near them because they are located near military formations. Until the crisis is over, the shops will remain closed,’’ Yakub says.

A motor mechanic, Malam Ibrahim Bakaniki, also has some tales of woes to narrate, saying that for now, he can hardly earn enough money to feed his family.

“Three persons have so far been shot in our garage in different attacks and this has scared away customers. The first was a robbery attack, where a car owner was killed and his car snatched.

“Subsequent attacks were carried out on mechanics; so, everybody is afraid to visit the place again,’’ he moans.

A security agent attached to the Joint Military Task Force (JTF) in Maiduguri says that crimes of various sorts, particularly armed robberies and housebreaking, have increased since the crisis.

“In the last couple of months, many businesses have been ruined through armed robbery and housebreaking, especially during the curfew hours.

“Some robbers take opportunities during the curfew hours to go about breaking shops in isolated areas. Many have been caught and in due course, they will be prosecuted,’’ he says.

Observers say that it is not only the economic lives of the people that have been affected by the crisis, but their social lives, which have been dislocated.

For many civil servants too, productivity had been adversely affected as they are no longer free to move around to carry out their routine duties.

“I leave home by 8.30 a.m. everyday but gets to the office at least an hour after, by which time I am already worn out,” says Mr Timothy Silas, a state civil servant.

He expatiates that before the crisis, it took him just 20 minutes to get to his office.

“Even, the problem is not that of getting to workplace alone; the security challenges have made it impossible for people to socialise.

“You can no longer visit colleagues, relatives or even friends in their homes because of the long queues of vehicles at security checkpoints,’’ he says.

Malam Bala Ashiru, a customs officer, corroborates Silas’ claims, noting that “the crisis has crippled evening life in Maiduguri.

“The idea of night life is long gone in Maiduguri. No relaxation joints are operating anymore and even those which dare open occasionally do so under the fear of gun or bomb attacks.

“How do you expect an officer to give his best when he cannot even unwind after a hard day’s work?’’ he asks rhetorically.

Alhaji Ishak Yahaya, a civil servant, says that the crisis has also prevented him from visiting his relatives in town.

“Most of us have adopted a daily routine of driving straight to the office in the morning and returning back home after office hours for safety reasons,’’ he says.

By the same token, schools’ attendance at various levels has dropped drastically since the crisis, observers say.

Madam Mary Joseph, a proprietor of a private school, says that the few schools operating have been forced to scale down learning hours, aside from the palpable fear among students and teachers.

“Most parents are afraid of bringing their children to school early; for fear that some attacks could be launched. So, we start classes late and this affects the productive school hours.

“We also close early at the request of the anxious parents,” she says.

Mr Ibrahim Gadzama, a lecturer at the Ramat Polytechnic, Maiduguri, describes the current situation in Maiduguri as “pathetic”.

“There is no doubt that the crisis is systematically killing the economy of the state; many businesses have been ruined, as they had been closed overnight,’’ he says.

He urges the government to brace to the current security challenges by exploring ways to end the Boko Haram saga.

“The Boko Haram crisis is really a great challenge to all.

“Government must rise to the occasion by striving hard to end the crisis; allowing the crisis to linger on will create larger problems in future,’’ he warns.

Inuwa writes for News Agency of Nigeria (NAN)

Ali Baba Inuwa,