By Abdullahi Alhassan ,
– Cites large population, high economic potential, security, and development as bases for request
The Burra community of Ningi Local Government Area has presented a memorandum to the House of Representatives Committee on the Amendment of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, requesting the creation of Burra Local Government Area out of the present Ningi Local Government Area.
Presenting the memorandum during a public hearing organized by the Committee in Gombe today, the leader of the community delegation, Alhaji Zakari Hussaini Burra, stated that the quest for the creation of Burra Local Government began over fifty years ago, driven by the genuine belief that a local government status would bring about the rapid economic and social transformation of the area.
The presentation came barely one week after the delegation submitted the same memorandum to the Senate Committee on Constitutional Amendment during its public hearing in Maiduguri, Borno State.
According to him, Burra is the oldest district in Nigeria without a local government status, established as far back as 1902. It is the farthest major town from Ningi, the Local Government Headquarters, located over 111 kilometers away. It shares borders with six Local Government Areas: Takai, Sumaila, Tudun Wada, and Doguwa in Kano State; Toro in Bauchi State; and Birnin Kudu in Jigawa State.
The chairman added that the distance between Burra and both the Local Government and State Headquarters has created serious security and administrative challenges, which have adversely affected economic growth in the area. With an additional 100 kilometers from Ningi to Bauchi, the state capital, the total distance from Bauchi to Burra is approximately 211 kilometers.
Alhaji Zakari Hussaini further stated that the population of the proposed Burra Local Government Area was 173,112 according to the 2006 census, and is projected to have risen to 340,987 in 2025, based on an estimated annual growth rate of 3.7% over a 20-year period (2006–2025).
He explained that the proposed Burra Local Government Area would comprise the present Burra District, which consists of five village head areas: Burra, Kurmi, Sama, Kyata, and Bashe. Under these village areas, there are more than 300 villages and hamlets.
“The district is one of the oldest, with a long history dating back to the 18th century. In fact, it was only with the establishment of colonial rule that the independent district was merged in 1902 with two other districts, Ningi and Warji, to form the then Ningi Native Authority, which was later renamed Ningi Local Government Area under the 1976 Local Government Reform.
“With a landmass of 2,348 square kilometers, the proposed local government has adequate space to cater for all its developmental needs, including population growth, expansion of both arable and animal farming, and the growth of other economic activities,” he further submitted.
Alhaji Zakari Hussaini Burra also disclosed that the area is well known in Bauchi State for its rich and fertile agricultural land, abundant rainfall, favorable weather, and, above all, its hardworking and enterprising people. The region is famous for the production of various crops such as guinea corn, maize, millet, beans, wheat, rice, cassava, yams, soybeans, cotton, groundnuts, pepper, as well as livestock.
He added that Burra is also blessed with mineral deposits including tin ore, gypsum, columbite, tantalite, wolfram (tungsten), and various gemstones. The Lame-Burra Game Reserve, second only to the Yankari Game Reserve is also located in Burra District. When fully developed as a tourist center, it would significantly boost the commercial and revenue base of the proposed local government.
On manpower, the chairman said the area is blessed with many sons and daughters who are capable and experienced civil servants across various levels of government in the country. He emphasized that any of them whose services are needed would be willing to contribute to the development of the proposed local government.
He, therefore, appealed to the National Assembly to consider and approve the request, so that the people of Burra, who have long been cut off from the center of governance due to the inaccessibility of their communities, can finally feel the impact of government.
In his remarks after receiving the memorandum, the Chairman of the House of Representatives Committee on Constitutional Amendment for the Northeast, Hon. Usman Bello Kumo, promised to do everything possible to ensure that the agitation for the creation of the local government becomes a reality.
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