Farmers in Adamawa have urged government and military authorities in the state to lift the total ban on the use of motor-cycle across the state.
Military authorities placed a ban on the use of motor-cycles in the state two years ago due to security reasons.
A cross section of farmers, who said on Tuesday, said that there had been tremendous improvement in security situation in the state.
They said that the ban should be lifted to enable farmers in the rural areas who depended heavily on motor-cycles for farming to get some relief.
The farmers said that the ban on motor-cycles had seriously affected farming activities in the state and that something needed to be done by relevant authorities to end their suffering.
“We are suffering, government needs to do something to enable us face farming this cropping season if the problem of hunger in the rural areas is to be addressed.
“There is no security challenge relating to Boko Haram in most local governments of Adamawa for the past one year.
“I am from Mayo-Belwa Local Govenment area and can confidently say that the last incident of Boko Haram attack in the area and the entire local governments in southern part is more than two years,” Abdullahi Ibrahim said.
Ibrahim urged the government and military authorities to consider each local government on its merit in lifting the ban instead of the current blanket ban.
Other farmers like Muhammadu Sabo, Joseph Bulus, Barnabas Musa, Shuaibu baba and Buba Mamman even from the northern part of the state affected by insurgency also pleaded for lifting of the ban.
“Mubi area is now safe. Most of us that returned are engage in farming and will be very happy if we are allowed to use motor-cycles,’’ Sabo said.
Many other stakeholders that attended the state government summit held at Government House, Yola, also spoke on the need to lift the ban.
Reacting to the development, Alhaji Abdulrahman Abba, the Chief of Staff to Governor Muhammadu Jibrilla, said the ban was purely a military affair and that the governor had been in touch with the Chief of Army Staff for a possible review of the ban.
“With the exception of Michika and Madagali Local Government areas, we want to see the ban lifted in the remaining 19 local government areas of the state,”, Abba said at the summit.
