By Michael Olugbode
Borno State Governor, Prof. Babagana Zulum, has expressed his readiness to pump money into the Maiduguri Flour Mills to maximize the company’s full production capacity of Semovita and other food products.
This is part of the governor’s efforts to increase public access to food items in Maiduguri and other parts of Borno.
Zulum visited the mills in Maiduguri yesterday where he inspected production facilities and met with management of the company.
The Maiduguri Flour Mills is jointly owned by the Federal Government’s Chad Basin Development Authority, Governments of Borno and Yobe States, Flour Mills of Nigeria Plc, Apapa and New Nigeria Development Company.
Zulum said when the flour mills is able to operate on its full capacity, it will greatly contribute to increase in the availability of current flow of food stuffs in markets.
The governor said: “Where feasible, you (the management) should please contact Lagos flour mill and let us see how we can work together. I am aware that this company was already operating, but the most important thing is to see how we can derive maximum benefit from this company. I am ever ready to approve funds even though the company is now driven by about five shareholders including Borno State Government. Nevertheless, I don’t mind putting more funding into the basket.”
He added: “However, my main concern is about output. What can we get after we inject funding, what will our people benefit? Let there be availability of quality Semovita and other food items in Borno markets, this I believe can even help in reducing the prices of food when people have access to more options, and there will be greater value addition to our economy.”
Zulum also yesterday was at the Federal Secretariat Complex, Maiduguri, to assess ongoing biometric enrollment process for batch C applicants of the Federal Government’s N-Power vocational employment programme.
The governor directed the release of an undisclosed largesse to all applicants to ease transportation difficulties by the time they will be resuming at their respective places of primary assignments.
Meanwhile, the governor returned to the state owned Ramat Polytechnic to monitor some immediate interventions from those he directed on Tuesday.
The governor had a day earlier suspended the Polytechnic’s management for the institution’s failing state, when he directed the state’s ministry of higher education to manage the Polytechnic for six months and speedily bring about changes that should start manifesting within 24 hours.
