Insurgency: FG, UN working to ensure victims return to normal lives

Insurgency: FG, UN working to ensure victims return to normal lives

The federal government and the united nations are working assiduously to ensure victims of the insurgency in the north eastern Nigeria return to their normal lives.

This was part of the discussion between the UN Deputy Secretary General, Amina Mohammed and the Minister of State for Budget and National Planning, Zainab Ahmed.

The UN Deputy Secretary General was in Nigeria to assess the ongoing rebuilding efforts and humanitarian services being coordinated by the UN systems in the insurgency hit north eastern Nigeria.

The Minister of State for Budget and Planning, Mrs Zainab Ahmed, who is the Chairperson of Inter– ministerial committee on the north east, told the UN Envoy that, the capacity of the NGOs needs to be enhanced to enable them respond more effectively and efficiently in bringing succour and relief to the victims of the insurgency.

While commending the UN and its partners for their humanitarian interventions and reconstruction efforts in the zone, the minister assured that the current administration under President Muhammadu Buhari, will give all the needed support to the UN partners working in the zone to return normalcy in the area.

Mrs Ahmed noted that there is glaring knowledge gaps among the local NGOs that would need to be filled, in order for them to manage the magnitude of humanitarian interventions required, as such building their capacity became more imperative because there are other parts of the country where humanitarian needs and interventions are also required urgently, besides the north east.

The minister also appealed to the UN and its partners to consider the local populations in the recruitment of staff delivering humanitarian services in the insurgency arears, as a way of empowering the people.

Speaking earlier, the Deputy Secretary General of the United Nations, Mrs Amina Muhammed told the minister that the UN has expended over $900 million in 2017 on humanitarian interventions and reconstruction efforts in the north east.

While agreeing that more resources are still needed in area of reconstruction and rehabilitation efforts in the zone, she however assured that the UN is ready to do whatever is required to assist the victims return to normal lives.

Mrs Muhammed said that while in the north east, she met with various stakeholders including the military, the state Government and non-governmental organizations to discuss progress and challenges on how to improve the humanitarian interventions. She however called on the Nigerian government to address the challenges of accessibility of certain areas by the international NGOs.

Signed:

Victoria Akem Agba-Attah
Director Information