Standup9ja - Borno IDPs begin mass production of soap, bags

Standup9ja - Borno IDPs begin mass production of soap, bags

.Governor Kashim Shettima (5th left) with some government officials and representatives of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs), display commercial household products produced by a group of 91 IDPs from Gwoza through a loan approved by the governor, at the Government House in Maiduguri yesterday Photo: Borno Govt. House

Some internally displaced persons from Gwoza local government area of Borno State have begun large scale production and packaging of various household products that include solid and liquid soap, detergents, pomade, and hand bags courtesy of loan allocated to them by the Borno Renaissance Micro Finance Bank set up by Governor Kashim Shettima. 

In 2016, Governor Shettima had after examining their proposal, directed the Micro Finance Bank to release the sum of N5m to a group of 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 started 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 yesterday 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 represents internal displacement. 

The IDP’S 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. 

Responding, Governor ‎Shettima said that after their products are certified by control agencies, their products would become major features in public hospitals, schools and other government establishments to increase their capacity and the economy of the state and to encourage other IDPs and residents to become productive.