Desertification is forcing several communities in Yusufari Local Government Area of Yobe State to abandon their ancestral lands, as sand dunes increasingly take over homes and farmlands.
The Executive Chairman of Yusufari Local Government Council, Baba Aji disclosed that the relentless advance of sand dunes has rendered many areas uninhabitable, forcing residents to flee to nearby villages such as Kaska.
He noted that the encroaching dunes are a severe threat to the communities, with some residents migrating further to Nguru town in search of refuge.
“Desertification has displaced many of our people from their homes. In affected villages, sand dunes are advancing dangerously close to houses, making life increasingly difficult for both humans and animals,” Aji lamented.
The situation is particularly dire in Tulo-Tulo and Bula-tura, two towns bordering Niger Republic, where the advancing dunes are threatening to engulf a vital oasis—a critical water source for the region.
Aji warned that if the oasis is lost, it would spell disaster for the local economy, which relies heavily on the cultivation of sugarcane, tomatoes, cassava, groundnuts, and potatoes during the dry season.
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“Sand dunes are encroaching on the oasis, posing a clear and present danger to the economic livelihood of our people. If these oasis dry up, hundreds will lose their jobs and face severe economic hardship,” he cautioned.
Despite efforts by the local and state governments, as well as initiatives like the Great Green Wall project, Aji expressed disappointment that these measures have not yielded the desired results.
He urgently appealed to the Federal Government to intervene by establishing shelter belts and implementing a sand dunes fixation program, which would involve extensive tree planting to protect the land from further desertification.
Aji also praised the Yobe State government’s Agriculture Empowerment Programme, which has provided farmers in the region with much-needed equipment, fertilizer, and improved seeds.
However, he noted that the area has also been affected by torrential rains, leading to flooding, erosion, and the collapse of buildings. He expressed hope that assistance from the state government and the State Emergency Management Agency would arrive soon to address these challenges.
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