The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Augustine Ehikioya

  • Buhari greets Prof. Mabogunje at 85

    Buhari greets Prof. Mabogunje at 85

    President Muhammadu Buhari has congratulated erudite scholar and quintessential public servant, Prof. Akin Mabogunje, who turns 85 on October 18th, 2016.

    Buhari, in a statement by the Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Femi Adesina, joined family members, friends, professional colleagues and students of the octogenarian in celebrating the life of the National Merit Award recipient, whom he said has consistently served humanity through extensive research, teaching and consulting across many national and global institutions.

    The President believed the intellectual and moral strength of the renowned scholar prepared him at an early stage for the numerous leadership roles before him; paving the way for a rigorous and successful academic career, and contributions to infrastructure development, urban and regional planning and public sector banking.

    He commended the patriotism and commitment of Prof. Mabogunje in serving, with integrity, on several boards of the Federal Government over many years, sharing his knowledge and skills to reposition cities, and working tirelessly to alleviate poverty through partnerships with the World Bank and the United Nations.

    The President prayed that the almighty God will grant the renowned town planner longer life, good health and strength to continue serving his country and humanity.

  • More Chibok girls will be freed – Buhari

    More Chibok girls will be freed – Buhari

    • Says negotiation continues

    President Muhammadu Buhari on Friday expressed optimism that more of the kidnapped Chibok girls will be released  after 21 of them were freed by Boko Haram on Thursday.

    Buhari spoke at a joint press conference with the German Chancellor Angela Merkel in Berlin, Germany.

    Buhari, in a statement by the Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu, said that the negotiations with the insurgents will continue until all the girls secure their freedom.

    He said: “On the Chibok girls, we have been able to secure the release of 21 of them, so over 100 more are still in the hands of the terrorists somewhere in the Lake Chad Basin area which include Cameroon, Niger and Nigeria.

    “In getting this 21 out, we hope we will get enough intelligence to go about securing the rest of them.

    “We are very grateful to the UN for their participation in trying to secure the release of these girls.

    “Please don’t forget that as a result of terrorism in Nigeria, no fewer than 37,000 Nigerians were killed by Boko Haram.

    “Right now we have about two million people in IDP camps, 60 per cent of them are women and children and 60 per cent of those children are orphaned.

    “This is a major challenge for government; we have to provide face infrastructure especially for education and health, take them back to their villages and towns and reintegrate them so that they can have normal life,’’ he said.

    He thanked the German government for their humanitarian assistance and support for Nigeria in dealing with the effects of terrorism.

    Responding to a question on the BBC interview with his wife, Mrs Aisha Muhammadu Buhari, the President said his wife and the opposition needed to appreciate the depth of the problems he met on the ground.

    He caused laughter at the press conference when he jokingly said: “I claim superior knowledge compared to her and the opposition,’’ referring to his three attempts at the polls to become President of Nigeria over a 12-year period, succeeding in the fourth attempt.

  • Arrest of judges, not wrong – Minister

    Arrest of judges, not wrong – Minister

    • Says Govt has right to search anybody, anywhere, anytime
    • FEC okays N700 million for Federal secretariats in six states

    The Minister of Information, Alhaji Lai Mohammed on Wednesday said there was nothing wrong in stepping on judges’ toes in the fight against corruption.

    It would be recalled that the Department of State Services (DSS) had last weekend stormed the houses of some judges, arrested them and recovered the huge sum of money in different denominations.

    But briefing State House correspondents at the end of Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting presided by President Mohammadu Buhari, Mohammed said that there was nothing wrong with the method adopted by the DSS.

    Mohammed was accompanied by the Ministers of Power, Works and Housing, Babatunde Fashola and Minister of State for Aviation, Hadi Sirika.

    While stressing that governors who have immunity are still open to investigation, he said that judges don’t even have immunity.

    He said: “What the government is concerned and passionate about is to fight corruption. In the process of fighting corruption, it is not unusual that you step on some very sensitive toes but the question to ask and I think these has been adequately answered by the Attorney General is that let’s remove emotion from facts.

    “One, do judges have immunity? The answer is no. Can judges be arrested? The answer is yes. Have judges that are serving been arrested in Nigeria? The answer is yes. Justice Okoli had been arrested and tried.

    “Now the next question to ask is what is the proper procedure for arresting anybody including judges? There must be properly executing of the search warrant. Was such presented? The answer again is yes. People have tried to muddle the facts about when do you search the person’s house, the truth of the matter is that under the new criminal justice law, you can search anybody, anywhere, anytime.

    “Again they have tried to muddle issues by trying to say that the NJC is the only authority that can attend complain and discipline, the answer once again is no,” he added.
    He pointed out that there is a difference between what is happening to the judges now and when a judge is accused of professional misconduct.

    “If you suspect anybody including Governors who have immunity they are still subject to investigations.” He said

    The government, he said, has the highest respect for the judiciary and does not intend to ridicule the judiciary.

    “We are not painting the whole of the judges with the same brush but we also have a duty to fight corruption at whatever level and in doing so, we will do so within the ambit of the law.” He said

    The Minister expressed displeasure that some people have started raising issues that are completely irrelevant to the matter.

    He said: “Some people are saying oh, the reason why they went to some particular judges house is because the President wants somebody from one part of the country to be Chief Justice of Nigeria. I think that is preposterous.

    “I want to assure you that this government has no intention to humiliate the judiciary and for those who are talking about separation of power, I think you are stretching it too far. I and members of the Executive, I can be invited by any arm of the government and I will go. So I think we should situate this thing in the right perspective.” He added

    He recalled when 22 out of 32 judges in Ghana, who were caught on tape by journalists asking for a bribe, were dismissed in 2015.

    He added: “Yes it’s true that what is happening today has probably never happened at this level before but frankly speaking and with all due respect we do not intend to humiliate any judge, we have no intention to humiliate the judiciary but believe me what we have done we have done within the ambits of the law.

    “I think the Federal Government is being very careful with handling of this particular issue, I want to state clearly that this government believes very much in separation of powers, this government has a lot of respect for the judiciary and for obvious reasons, not just because the constitution says so but I think probably this is one cabinet that has the highest number of lawyers as ministers.

    “As at the last count about eleven or twelve council members are lawyers and we have female lawyers also in the cabinet until death robbed us of late Ocholi we had five SANs in our cabinet and I think this is unique, therefore you can understand the kind of respect we have for the judiciary.”

    He also pointed out that the President himself, who sought to be President four times and had it thwarted three times, took his case to court on the three occasions.

    “He took his case to the judiciary, so I can say clearly that this administration has a lot of respect for the judiciary and I think I stand by what Mallam Garba Shehu said that please do not confuse the fight against corruption as a fight against judiciary,” he added

    Fashola disclosed that the FEC approved N700 million for the completion of abandoned Federal secretariats in Anambra, Bayelsa, Gombe, Nasarawa, Osun and Zamfara states.

    According to him, the fund for the completion of the secretariat projects, which were abandoned since 2012, were captured in the 2016 budget.

    He said when completed, the projects would provide office accommodation to Federal Government staff deployed to the affected states.

    “They are at various stages of completion. There have been changes in cost as a result of project designs, amendment, cases where original location and contract are changed and they have to be redesigned in such structure,’’ he said

    He said that the second memo approved by FEC from the ministry has to do with ongoing projects for the construction of the abandoned 10 megawatts Wind Farm power project in Katsina state.

    According to him, the wind farm project is part of government’s strategic plan for  renewable energy.

    He added that the project was a major component of the government’s road map towards achieving incremental power in the country.

    Fashola  noted that the contract cost of the power project escalated following the kidnapping of the contractor, who after being rescued abandoned the  project.

    Sirika said that the council approved an outline Business case for Industrial Port Development in Badagry, Lagos State.

    According to him, the Council also approved the relocation of flight training simulator from Lagos to Nigerian College of Aviation Technology (NCAT), Zaria in Kaduna state, for the training of pilots and engineers.

  • Buhari to confer with German leaders on security, humanitarian issues

    Buhari to confer with German leaders on security, humanitarian issues

    President Muhammadu Buhari is scheduled to embark on an official visit to the Federal Republic of Germany from October 13th to 15th, 2016.

    A statement by the Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Femi Adesina, said that President Buhari in Berlin will confer with Federal Chancellor Angela Merkel on issues of shared interests between Nigeria and Germany, including further cooperation on security, the humanitarian situation of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) and rehabilitation of the North-East, and trade and economic relations between both countries.

    The President will thereafter meet with Federal President Joachim Gauck, in the company of Governors Kashim Shettima of Borno State and Rochas Okorocha of Imo and representatives of the National Assembly.

    The statement reads: “In furtherance of the administration’s objective to attract more foreign investment and create economic opportunities in the country, President Buhari will participate in a Business Forum in Berlin with leading German companies already active in Nigeria and other prospective investors.

    “Before returning to Abuja, the President is expected to meet with representatives of the Nigerian community in Germany.

    “President Buhari is committed to deepening relations with Germany and building on the very cordial relations both countries enjoy in several areas of bilateral cooperation including the fight against terrorism, economic relations, rebuilding of the North east, support for IDPs, vocational training, energy partnership and cultural relations.

    Shortly after his inauguration on May 29, 2015, President Buhari, on the invitation of Chancellor Merkel, attended the G7 summit in Elmau, Germany, which was his first trip to a non-African country after his assumption of office.

    From February 8 to 12 this year, President Gauck, accompanied by a delegation of German business community, was on an official visit to Nigeria, where they had fruitful discussions on trade and investments with representatives of government and the private sector in Abuja and Lagos.

  • Aisha Buhari decries sales of loan forms

    Aisha Buhari decries sales of loan forms

    The Wife of the President, Mrs. Aisha Buhari has decried the sale of forms for interest-free loans to women across the country.

    The forms, she said ought to be  obtained freely from the Federal Ministry of Women Affairs.

    But she said her name was being used to defraud the public, who are made to pay for the forms.

    The Wife of the President raised the alarm in a statement issued by her Special Adviser (Media), Adebisi Olumide Ajayi.

    The statement reads: “Mrs Buhari said the forms which are supposed to be given out free, are also interest free yet they are being sold between N1,500 (one thousand five hundred Naira) and N5,000 (five thousand Naira) to the unsuspecting public, this she said  defeats the purpose of the programme which is mainly to assist women, especially those at the grassroots.

    “She further appealed to those involved in the act to desist from sabotaging the programme and allow the Nigerian women to feel the change mantra,” it stated.

  • Climate change: Buhari signs Paris agreement

    Climate change: Buhari signs Paris agreement

    • Says Nigeria will reverse effects of climate change

    President Muhammadu Buhari has said that his signing of the Paris Agreement on Climate Change has demonstrated Nigeria’s commitment to a global effort to reverse the effects of the negative trend.

    He made the remark while addressing the opening of the meeting on Taking Climate Action for Sustainable Development in New York, co-hosted by Nigeria and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) as one of the Side Events of the 71st Session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA71).

    President Buhari, had shortly before the event, signed the Paris Agreement, where he committed Nigeria to reducing “Green House Gas Emissions unconditionally by 20 per cent and conditionally by 45 per cent” in line with Nigeria’s Nationally Determined Contributions.”

    Describing the signing as historic, Buhari in a statement by the Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Femi Adesina, had expressed confidence that with support from development partners, Nigeria will meet the above targets.

    The President also promised to ensure the ratification of the Paris Agreement before the 22nd Conference of Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change in Marrakesh, Morocco in November 2016.

    He said that it was to demonstrate his personal dedication to the process of implementing the Agreement that he was hosting the side event on Taking Climate Action Towards Sustainable Development.

    Buhari, who said he was privileged to have been part of the Paris Agreement, expressed appreciation to what he called “the genuine efforts by President Francois Hollande of France in drawing global attention to reviving the Lake Chad Basin,” and for galvanizing the political will that lead to the global consensus in reaching the Paris Agreement.

    The Nigerian President said his country’s commitment to the Paris Agreement is articulated through its Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), which strive to build a climate resilient society across the diverse terrain of Nigeria.

    He said: “We have instituted an Inter-Ministerial Committee on Climate Change to govern implementation of my country’s NDCs, thereby ensuring a strong cross-sectoral approach, coherence and synergy for Climate Action.”

    Buhari, while admitting that implementing the Roadmap will not be easy in the face of dwindling national revenues, however, indicated that both internal and external resources would be mobilized to meet Nigeria’s targets, adding that the 2017 Budget will reflect Nigeria’s efforts to accord priority to realizing its NDCs.

    “In addition, we are set to launch our first ever Green Bonds in the first quarter of 2017 to fund a pipeline of projects all targeted at reducing emissions towards a greener economy,” he said.

    While urging global support to transit to a low-carbon climate resilient economy, the President specifically reminded industrialized nations to play their role and deliver on their commitments on access to climate finance and technology transfer and help with capacity-building.

    “Expectations are high for their leaders to deliver US$100 billion per year by 2020 in support of developing countries to take climate action, thus keeping the promise to billions of people.” He said

    President Buhari, who thanked the Presidents of Chad, Cameroon, Democratic Republic of Congo and Niger for attending the event, also called on the international community to give special recognition to the plight of Lake Chad and support effort to resuscitate the livelihoods of over 5 million people in the region.

    “This will reinforce our efforts to reintegrate the thousands of Boko Haram victims and returning Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs),” he said.

    The President noted that the Niger Delta region is a unique biodiversity rich in coastal environment that is highly prone to adverse environmental changes occasioned by climate change, such as sea level rise, coastal erosion, exacerbated by poverty and many decades of oil pollution leading to loss of livelihoods and ecosystems.

    Through an integrated approach, implementation of the NDCs, and efforts to clean up Ogoniland, he said that livelihoods will be improved, protection of the environment and climate action will be taken, and ensure the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

  • PDP: Fayose, Ikpeazu differ on peace move

    PDP: Fayose, Ikpeazu differ on peace move

    Two governors of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) on Thursday disagreed on the peace move that was announced by the two feuding factions of the party led by Senator Ahmed Makarfi and Senator Ali Modu Sheriff.

    The two factions of the party had on Tuesday announced their decision to bury the hatchet and work together in order to enable the party perform its role as a viable opposition platform.

    Both factions disclosed their intention to embark on extensive consultations with their respective loyalists to fashion out a way to cement the new unity after about four months of bitter rivalry.

    Governors Okezie Ikpeazu of Abia State and Ayo Fayose of Ekiti State, who spoke separately on the issue with State House correspondents at the end of the National Economic Council (NEC) meeting at the Presidential Villa, Abuja on Thursday, differed on the necessity of the reconciliation move.

    While Fayose rejected it and stressed that it is only the Court of Appeal that can resolve the party’s leadership crisis, Ikpeazu described it as a step in the right direction.

    According to Fayose, the PDP state governors have not been briefed on the reconciliation move while the cases in court have not been withdrawn.

    He said: “That move, you see, I’m not against anything called resolution within the party but everybody must wait for Court of Appeal to resolve this matter.

    “Matters are in court, nobody has withdrawn any matter and they are resolving. What are you resolving?

    “When matters are in court you, allow court to lay them to rest. The moment this thing doesn’t go with one side, they will tell you were are still in court.

    “But allow the court to take a stand and reconciliation would be made easy. I’m not against anybody reconciling with each other, but when you see that meeting, ask the coverners if the governors were briefed.

    “I was not briefed. I am not the only person in the party, but I think I have a stake.”

    On whether the cases in court cannot be withdrawn during reconciliation, he replied: “Let’s wait till then. But my opinion is the Court of Appeal must resolve this matter.

    “When you resolve the matter, you know that I am wrong and I you are right and reconciliation will be made easy.” He said.

    Abia governor said that the new reconciliation move will be a victory for the party and Nigeria at the end of the day.

    Noting that the long period of the crisis had taken a toll on the party, he said that it had also provided it with new opportunities to become stronger.

    Ikpeazu said: “In every crisis there are downsides because nobody will wish and pray for the crisis. I think also that moment of crisis are also opportunities for strength, renewed vigor and to reinvent our vision.

    “So, ultimately, I think the PDP has the resilience and what it takes to bounce back as a party.”

    On how to secure the support of its founding fathers and others who may have left the party, he said the party will work to bring everybody back on board.

    He went on: “There is no doubt that party politics everywhere involves everybody, whether you are a founding father or a new member. A political party is built around people and everybody has a equal stake.

    “Our interest is Nigeria. Therefore, all strata of people, an opinion I think will be put into consideration because they are equally important.

    “The important thing is Nigeria and the important thing is democracy. Whether you are a BoT member or a party person, it doesn’t really matter. PDP Governors Forum is not a political party,” he added.

  • Why we are fighting corruption headlong – Buhari

    Why we are fighting corruption headlong – Buhari

    President Muhammadu Buhari has explained that his administration is fighting the scourge of corruption headlong because it is contributing to the denial of the resources required for development.

    Speaking in New York at the High-Level Meeting of the United Nations General Assembly to commemorate the 30th anniversary of the Declaration on the Right to Development, the President called on development partners to also up the fight against corruption by returning ill-gotten financial assets and halting future illicit financial flows to their countries.

    According to the Nigerian leader, such collective action will guarantee a stronger international defence of the right to development.

    Buhari, in a statement by the Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Femi Adesina, also noted that illicit financial assets stashed abroad deprive developing countries including Nigeria, and invariably deny people the enjoyment of their national wealth and resources needed for development.

    He cautioned that non-repatriation of illicit financial assets could impinge on the determination of States to achieve an all-inclusive 2030 sustainable development.

    President Buhari therefore called on the United Nations to remain vocal and active in addressing the negative impact of non-repatriation of illicit financial assets on their countries of origin.

    As soon as stolen assets are legally established, he said that they should swiftly be repatriated.

    He welcomed the commemoration of three decades of the Declaration on the Right to Development, which he observed, coincides with the first anniversary of the adoption of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

    He said: “It reminds us all of the essence of development and provides us with the opportunity to reaffirm commitments to converting this right into the policies and operational activities of relevant actors at the national, regional and international levels.”

    Buhari said that as a developing country, Nigeria considers the Right to Development an inalienable right of fundamental importance, stressing that at the national level, his administration has been making strenuous efforts to ensure that the right to development is at the centre of all development initiatives.

    While reaffirming Nigeria’s commitment to the UN Charter and other international conventions that uphold the Right to Development, he also drew the attention of the international community to the urgent need to address the lop-sided terms of trade between Developed and Developing Countries which have impacted negatively on the capacity of many Developing Countries to embark on development programmes for the benefit of their peoples.

    “Nigeria is convinced that the Right to Development is a shared responsibility considering the growing inequality and poverty resulting from climate change impact, natural disasters, violent extremism, social unrest and deprivation,” the President said.

    “The Right to Development must be promoted and protected like all other rights. Its universality and interdependence are indisputable,” he said.

  • Presidency denies poisonous rice importation

    Presidency denies poisonous rice importation

    The Federal Government on Wednesday described attempts by some individuals on social media to link the government and Dangote group with a plan to ‘flood’ the country with genetically modified rice (GMO) as extremely uncharitable.

    A statement by the Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Femi Adesina, said that the Federal Government in 2014 signed a $1billion Memorandum of Understanding, (MoU) for investment in integrated rice project  with Dangote Industries Ltd.

    In line with the agreement, the statement said that Dangote Industries Limited this year cultivated over 8,000 hectares in Hadejia, Jigawa state, creating over 10,000 direct and indirect jobs for farmers who are the major beneficiaries of the scheme.

    It reads: “In consolidation of the rice project of the Federal Government, President Muhammadu Buhari administration is also in partnership with the African Development Bank (AfDB) and other reputable companies to tap into the vast potentials in the private sector and broadening the economic base of the country.

    “The gains of the diversification drive especially in the Agriculture sector are already yielding dividends as shown by the recent statistics in the sector as published by the National Bureau of Statistics.
    These engagements will continue until the present administration has laid a solid foundation for the economic development of the nation.

    “It is therefore ridiculous that a government that is wholly devoted to the generation of employment for Nigerians especially through Agriculture will turn around to get involved in an activity that will reverse the gains of the same partnership.

    “President Muhammadu Buhari has said it repeatedly that, ‘we have the capacity to feed ourselves in Nigeria and even export from what we produce in the country.”

    “He has also said that through the provision of N200 billion by the CBN for small holder farmers and processors involved in local production of rice and other grains, rice importation  will hopefully stop  in the next three years.” It added.

    The statement said that it was unfortunate that a few self-serving individuals are bent on distracting the administration while the Buhari administration is working assiduously with well-meaning Nigerians to bring the country out of the current economic situation it has found itself.

    The government, it said, is focused on reflating the fortunes of the country through the diversification of the economy which will very soon yield results.

    “The Federal Government warns purveyors of such malicious information and those thinking of embarking on the same route to have a rethink and retrace their steps.” It stated

  • FG shares bags of rice to IDPs in Cameroon, Chad, Niger

    Federal Government on Thursday disclosed that it has distributed several bags of essential food and non-food items to Nigerian Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) in Cameroon, Chad and Niger.

    According to a statement by the Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Laolu Akande, the distribution of the items were overseen by the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA).

    The list of food items included 12, 332 bags of parboiled rice/rice; 6, 084 bags of maize; 6,156 bags of millet; 5,180 bags of granulated sugar; 2,000 bags of salt (25kg); 800 bags of semolina; 4,016 bags of beans; 9,800 cartoons of Indomine noodles.

    Others are 1,800 cartoons of powdered milk; 800 cartoons of spaghetti; 2,000 vegetable oil (20 litres); 2,180 cartoons of Omo detergents; 600 kegs of palm oil and 400 cartoons of 3-in-1 tea.

    The non-food items supplied to the camps in the three countries from 2015 to date include medical and non-medical supplies such as antibiotics, antifungal, anti-malaria, Anthelmintic, NSAID, non-SAID Analgesics, Antitussives and Antithasmine drugs.

    Similarly, the Monthly Report Of Federal Government Actions In The North East States Affected By Boko Haram, the Senior Special Assistant on IDPs in the Vice President’s Office, Dr Mariam Masha, said that the National Humanitarian Coordination Forum (NHCF) was effectively addressing the welfare of IDPs in the areas.

    Some other items donated included “eye drops, anti-diabetic drugs, Antacid drugs, multivitamin, laboratory consumables, blankets, mattresses, mosquito nets, men’s and women’s wears.”

    The report reads: “In Minawao, Cameroon, alone, 48,400 bags and cartoons of non-food items like medium and small mattresses, pillows, mosquito nets, blankets, towels, guinea brocade, nylon mats, plastic plates, cups, spoons and buckets, Omo detergents, washing soaps, bathroom slippers, pampers as well as exercise books pencils and textbooks were distributed to IDPs.

    “Forum, partnering with critical stakeholders, establishes important intervention mechanisms to check and mitigate the incidence and negative effects of flooding on the IDPs in Borno, Yobe and Bauchi States.”

    The report also showed that the Federal Government through the initiative of the military has constructed a temporary school for IDPs in the Bama camp and deployed teachers for a population of over 3,000 children.

    The military also provided solar boreholes in Dikwa, Gamboru, Monguno, Marte, Mafe Gwoa, Buni Yadi, Bulla, Allargano and in several other communities in Borno State.

    The scale of humanitarian efforts by the military also cover road construction and reconstruction, donation of educational materials to schools as well as rehabilitation of worship centres and markets in Adamawa and Yobe States.

    The report said that the military through the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA) has formed a working group which is to develop a policy framework and national action plan in preventing and countering violent extremism.

    Dr. Masha commended the commitment of the UN System for its various humanitarian and policy initiatives and noted that the World Bank organised a workshop towards developing a strategic plan which will assist the Federal Government to effectively articulate and implement its programmes for the North East.

    The World Bank and the Federal Ministry of Health are also to collaborate with the military and Civilian Joint Task Force (CJTF) to vaccinate children in all accessible LGAs in Borno State in support of government’s Polio Response Plan.

    The report observed that NEMA relocated a total of 23,391 IDPs from schools that were initially used as camps to new sites in Bakassi and Dalori IDP camps in Maiduguri.

    The Federal Ministry of Education provided emergency classroom supplies for learners in Borno State communities such as Konduga (675), Bama (2500), Dikwa (500), Damboa (500) and Monguno (500).

    The report also said the interventions by the Presidential Initiative for the North East (PINE) showed that displaced persons also received from PINE, various food items such as rice, millet, guinea corn, maize, iodized salt, vegetable oil and Indomie noodles which were distributed to the six frontline States of Borno, Yobe and Adamawa.

    Gombe State also received several bags of food items for the Operation Safe Corridor (OSC).

    The OSC was a programme set up by the Federal Government in its bid to war against insurgency in the North East.

    The objective of the programme was also to enhance government efforts to rehabilitate and re-integrate surrendered and repentant terrorist members in the region.