The United Nations Secretary-General and Emergency Relief Coordinator, Mr Martin Griffiths, has reiterated its commitment to support Borno State Government under the leadership of governor Babagana Umara Zulum towards resettlement and stabilization of millions of Internally Displaced Persons, IDPs, most of whom have relocated back to their liberated communities.
He said, the atrocities posed by insurgents in the last 12 years has inflicted trauma and untold hardship on the livelihood of innocent victims, which, the state government alone cannot address.
Griffiths stated this on Wednesday evening when he led other UN humanitarian partners including the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UN-OCHA) delegation to the governor on a courtesy call at the Government House, Maiduguri.
He pointed out that they were in Borno to have a first-hand situation on the crisis and by extension the resettlement and rehabilitation of IDPs as well as those victims who are still leaving in camps, with a view to enhance their lives and give them hope.
He informed the governor that while in the state, his delegation visited Bama town, one of the Local Government Areas hitherto declared as Boko Haram caliphate, before it was liberated by troops and now safe.
“Your Excellency, we are here in Borno to acknowledge the good efforts your government and the security agencies are doing and interface with IDPs as well as the citizenry who are directly or indirectly victims of None State Actors.
“We have visited some places including Bama Local Government Area and assessed the situation on the ground as it relates to returnee IDPs and the host communities.
“Based on what we saw and our interaction with IDPs, we want to reiterate our commitment to support your Government towards resettlement and stabilization of millions of Internally Displaced Persons, IDPs, mostly whom have relocated back to their liberated communities.
“The atrocities posed by insurgents in the last 12 years has inflicted trauma and untold hardship on the lives of innocent victims, which, the state government alone cannot address.
“We are here to reassure you that we will continue to partner together with a view to make lives meaningful to the returnee IDPs and other victims of Insurgency across the state”. Griffiths said.
Responding, governor Zulum commended the UN delegation for the visit and finding time to visit Bama for first-hand information.
He lamented that to nip in the budding problem of Boko Haram and youths restiveness, collective efforts need to be done in addressing the infrastructural deficit, poverty and inaccessibility to western education in the state and the northeast sub-region.
He said, the ongoing closure of resettlement camps and relocation of IDPs from Maiduguri back to their ancestral homes by the present administration was a difficult decision, but a collective interest and willingness of all IDPs and stakeholders to fend for themselves, as continuous dependence on aids is no longer sustainable in a long run.
He however appealed to the UN and other humanitarian partners to avoid publication efforts but to give Government the opportunity to coordinate and monitor most of their activities across the state.
“On behalf of Government and the good people of Borno state, I want to commend the UN and all humanitarian partners for identifying with us over our trying moment.
“I want to specifically thank you and your delegation for finding time to visit Borno and Bama for first-hand information.
“But to say the facts, to nip in the budding problem of Boko Haram and youths restiveness, there must be a collective effort in addressing the infrastructural deficit, poverty and inaccessible to western education in the state and the northeast sub-region.
“The ongoing closure of resettlement camps and relocation of IDPs from Maiduguri back to their ancestral homes by the present administration was a difficult decision, but a good omen, collective interest and willingness of all IDPs and stakeholders to fend for themselves, as continuous dependence on aids by our resilient IDPs are no longer sustainable in a long run.
“As Government, we plead with you to avoid publication efforts but to give us the opportunity to coordinate and monitor most of your activities across the state,” Zulum stated.
