Constitution review: Burra Community presents memo to Senate, requests creation of Burra local government

Abdullahi Sa’ad, member representing Ningi/Warji Federal Constituency in the House of Reps presenting the memo to the Chairman, North-East Zonal Committee on constitution review, Sen Abubakar Kyari

By Akanji Alowolodu, Bauchi

Burra Community in Ningi Local Government of Bauchi State has presented a memorandum to the Nigeria’s Senate requesting the creation of Burra Local Government Area out of the present Ningi Local Government Area.
Presenting the memo on behalf of the Community during the North-East Zonal Public Hearing conducted by the Senate Committee on the Review of the 1999 Constitution in Bauchi, member representing Ningi/Warji Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives, Abdullahi Sa’ad Abdulkadir said that the community had consistently been presenting the request to various governments since 1981.
He explained that the request for the creation of Burra Local Government Area is born out of the genuine belief that it is the creation of the Local Government that would bring about the rapid economic and social transformation of the area. 
He expressed confidence that if the District is curved into a LocalGovernment Area, the rich and abundant resources in the area will be more efficiently tapped and utilized for the benefit of the people of the area in particular and Bauchi State and Nigeria in general. 
The federal lawmaker stated that, “The proposed Burra Local Government Area, is to be made up of the present Burra District which consists of five Village Head Areas; Burra, Kurmi, Sama, Kyata and Bashe. Under these village head areas there are more than 250 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 constitute the then Ningi Native Authority which was later re-named Ningi Local Government Area, under the 1976 Local Government Reform”, he explained.
Abdullahi Sa’adu added that, “This is the only oldest district as way back as 1902 that is the farthest from the local government headquarters, with a distance of over 100km away and borders 6 Local Government Areas; Takai, Sumaila, Tudun Wada, Ningi, Doguwa and Toro in 2 states of Kano and Jigawa. This comes along with serious security and administrative consequences and general development of the people”.
“With a land mass of 2,348 square kilometres the proposed Local Government has adequate land to take care of all of its developmental needs like population growth, expansion of both arable and animal farming and the increase and expansion of other economic activities.” He further explained.
Abdullahi Sa’ad also disclosed that the population of the proposed Burra Local Government Area is 220,000 based on the 2006 census figures, which gives a total of 324,750 people based on 3.4% growth rate projections as at 2020. 
According to him, the area is well known in Bauchi State for its vast rich and fertile agricultural land with abundant rainfall, good weather and, above all hard working and enterprising people who are very famous in the production of various agricultural produce such as guinea corn, maize, millet beans, wheat, rice, cassava, yams, soya beans, cotton, groundnuts, pepper and livestock production.
He stressed further that the area is also blessed with deposits of various minerals such as tin ore, gypsum, columbite, tantalite, wolfram or tungsten and various germ stones and the Lame-Burra Game Reserve which is second to Yankari Game Reserve is significantly located in Burra District, which when fully developed as centre of tourist attraction would greatly improve the commercial and revenue base of the proposed Local Government Area.
In term of manpower requirement, he said that the area is blessed with many sons and daughters who are capable and experienced civil servants of various cadres working at different levels of civil service across the country and any one of them whose services are needed will be willing to come and help develop the new Local Government.
The Member therefore appealed to the Senate Committee to consider and approve the request so that people of Burra who have for long been locked out from the centre of governance because of inaccessibility of their area, could really feel the impact of the government.