Some IDPs in the north-east have failed to allow the present challenges deter them from being productive, as they have started producing common goods to support the Nigerian economy.
Governor Kashim Shettima
Some Internally Displaced Persons from Gwoza local government area of Borno State have began large scale production and packaging of various household products that include solid and liquid soap, detergents, pomade, hand bags courtesy of loan allocated to them by the Borno Renaissance Micro Finance Bank, set up by Governor Kashim Shettima to promote entrepreneurship in the State.
In 2016, Governor Shettima had after examining their proposal, directed the Micro Finance Bank to release the sum of N5m to a group of Ninety one (91) male and female citizens displaced from Gwoza local government area who were living within some camps in Maiduguri.
After preliminary meeting with Governor Shettima, the group had registered with the State as Gwoza Soap Makers Association, a cooperative desired to go into mass production of household items. The Governor had before facilitating the release of the funds, promised to make them grow in capacity if they start on a good footing.
In fulfillment of their pledge, after days of hard work, representatives of the IDP'S led Borno State Commissioner for Higher Education, Usman Jaha, who hails from Gwoza, were at the Government House, Maiduguri today (Wednesday) with samples of household products produced and packaged by the IDP's. They named all their products, 'G.Z. Hijira'.
The 'G.Z' represent Gwoza (their town) with Hijira meaning 'temporary relocation' which in their case represent Internal displacement. The IDPs told Governor Shettima that they want their locally produced products to capture the memory of their displacement and relocation to Maiduguri as a result of attacks on their communities in Gwoza by Boko Haram insurgents in 2014.
"For a start , we have used part of the funds and produced 118 cartons of solid laundry soap; 86 cartons of small size pomades, 96 cartons of large size of pomade; 200 jeriryans of large and small packs of liquid soap; 1,972 kitchen sized packs of liquid soap, disinfectants and 127 numbers of women and unisex hand bags. We will be going into bigger scale production but we came to show you what we have started doing since you created this opportunity for us by encouraging us and getting us the money" Musa Ali Gwoza, leader of the IDPs told Shettima.
Impressed by what he saw, Governor Shettima immediately said that after their products are certified by control agencies, their products will become major features in public hospitals, schools and other Government establishments so as to increase their capacity and the economy of the State and to encourage other IDPs and residents to become productive.