The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Northeast

  • Reps panel: we won’t restrict agencies, NGOs from rebuilding Northeast

    Members of the House of Representatives ad hoc Committee on Media and Public Affairs yesterday said the House will not restrict well-meaning humanitarian agencies and non-governmental organisations from helping to rebuild the Northeast, which has been devastated by Boko Haram insurgency.

    The Chairman of the Committee, Sanni Zoro, had in statement last week said the House Committee on IDPs would ensure that there would be a restriction on the unchecked influx of humanitarian agencies into the Northeast for security reasons.

    However, a new statement by three other members of the ad hoc committee – Abdulrazak Namdas, Rimamnde Shawulu Kwewum and Mark Gbillah – said no such action was in the offing.

    The statement reads: “Our attention has been drawn to the news items published last week to the effect that the House of Representatives was worried about the ‘unseeingly unchecked influx of Foreign Non-Governmental Organisations into the Northeast’.

    “The news report further said that the influx ‘portends a security risk’. According to the news report credited to Hon. Sani Zorro, the newly created House Standing Committee on IDPs, Refuges and Initiatives on the Northeast zone would ‘beam its searchlight into their activities’.

    “The House of Representatives would like to assure Nigerians and the international community and particularly the people of the Northeast region that the House would not abridge the rights of well-meaning people to give help or prohibit the traumatised peoples of the Northeast from receiving assistance to rebuild their lives and communities.

    “As a lawmaking institution, the House of Representatives respects the laws of Nigeria and all the international conventions and treaties that the Nigeria state is a signatory to. We would therefore not be putting in place new measures that are contrary to the extant laws of Nigeria.

    “The creation of the new committee only underscores the seriousness with which the House and the Speaker, Yakubu Dogara, take the issue of the Northeast. The Northeast situation has been on the frontburner at the House of Representatives. The Legislative Agenda, as adopted by the House, sets out the Northeast situation as a serious issue.

    “The House also, unanimously adopted a motion, which among other resolutions, sought the cooperation of all well-meaning people in the world to join hands to reconstruct the Northeast, rehabilitate the several millions of people displaced by the insurgency and reintegrate communities that have been ravaged by the activities of insurgents.

    “It is therefore a welcome development that the call of the House has been heeded by people from around the world. The House would welcome more well-meaning people who will help in this regard. It is important to place on record that the new standing committee came about also as a result of the request of the International Development Partners, who suggested that legislative oversight is necessary for the reconstruction and rebuilding process of the Northeast to be transparent and accountable.

    “Given the fact that Nigeria today hosts about five million internally displaced persons, the second biggest host, next to Syria, the House decided to create the  standing committee, whose responsibility includes the Northeast reconstruction initiatives.”

    It added: “The House of Representatives would, therefore, like to assure all civil society groups, development partners and well-meaning individuals that as the bastion of democracy, the House, which is committed to the Northeast reconstruction and rehabilitation, will continue to welcome partners in accordance with extant laws and International conventions and treaties.”

  • Five million IDPs in Northeast, says Dogara

    Five million IDPs in Northeast, says Dogara

    Speaker of the House of Representatives Yakubu Dogara yesterday said five million people were displaced in the Northeast.

    He explained that though the official figure of the Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) was put at 2.1 million, the actual number of people affected by Boko Haram insurgency might be five million.

    Dogara spoke when the Head of the United Nations High Commission for Refugees, Angel Dekonge Antangara, visited him.

    The issue of the IDPs, the speaker said, “is dear to the House because they are Nigerians, who fall within the representation of the House”.

    “As an indigene of the Northeast, it is safe to say the number of IDPs in Nigeria can be up to five million. The NHCR deals with symptoms of terrorism, which is displacement,” he said.

    Dogara told his visitors that he sponsored a motion as the Speaker calling the attention of the Executive to the plight of IDPs.

    He added that the motion was aimed at working together with the Executive to bring about a lasting solution through the engagement of international donor conference on the plight of those in the Northeast.

     

     

     

     

  • Why we banned donkeys in Northeast, by military

    Why we banned donkeys in Northeast, by military

    •Says about 200 surrendered insurgents de-radicalised

    The military has said it banned donkeys in the Northeastern part of the country to impede fleeing terrorists from using them to wreak havoc.

    Director of Defence Information (DDI) Colonel Rabe Abubakar said this during a visit to The Nation headquarters in Lagos.

    He stated that the ban was necessary in view of the dismantled Boko Haram terrorist attacks on soft targets.

    According to him, since the insurgents do not have vehicles, they resorted to the use of donkeys, a common practice in the region that will not arouse suspicion.

    Col. Abubakar also spoke on the recent attack by terrorists at the Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) camp in Adamawa State, noting that it would have been more disastrous save for the presence of military personnel at the camps.

    He stated that the bombers blew themselves up around the warehouse after they could not enter the main camp where women and children were.

    “Tremendous improvement has been recorded by the military, having had what it takes to prosecute this war. We have the right leadership, armament and equipment, and the morale of the troops is now high.

    “Most importantly, the whole structure has been streamlined in such a way that every segment in the force has been allotted responsibilities to execute in fighting the war. “Boko Haram’s cell and its affiliated centre of gravity have been smashed and operations will continue to the next level to ensure they are completely decimated so that our nation can be one and never again could any territory of this country be claimed by any group. We are working round the clock and all areas formerly under the control of the terrorists are now fully under us.

    “A lot of security apparatus have been updated and personnel are physically on ground to ensure the safety of displaced persons at the general areas where they are before returning to their communities.

    “We are mindful of the fact that there have been some soft target attacks here and there, in the form of suicide bombing, and we want to say that it is one of the characteristics of insurgents the world over.

    “When they are completely degraded, the next thing they do is to ensure that they attack soft targets where harmless people are, but they lack the capability to confront the force. These kinds of things I believe may continue for sometime. Even with that, the military is not in anyway folding its arms. We are equally replanning and adopting different strategies.

    “That is why we banned the use of donkeys, horses in that general area. We discovered that the insurgents now use them because they do not have vehicles. We had to ban the use of animals, it is not a convenient thing but we must understand that the security and safety of our country and citizens is paramount.”

    Col. Abubakar also said the military has de-radicalised about 200 surrendered insurgents, who he said were still being investigated and rehabilitated.

    He admitted that some of them were surrendering because they could no longer withstand the military’s attacks, adding that the Defence Headquarters was planning to put a channel in place to receive and treat repented terrorists in accordance with international best practices.

    While noting that the multinational Joint Task Force (JTF) had blocked the entry and exit channels of the Sambisa Forest, Abubarkar said the terrorists inside the forest had been restricted and denied access to logistics.

    On the whereabouts of the abducted Chibok girls, he admitted that the issue was yet to be resolved, just as he noted that hundreds of other hostages were freed regularly and taken to Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) camps.

    He discountenanced the purported recordings recently made by Boko Haram leader, Abubakar Shekau, describing him as extremely insignificant in the ongoing war.

    “Shekau is extremely insignificant in the ongoing war. He is an individual and if he was alive and relevant, he would have come out.”

    While commending this newspaper for its responsible reporting of security issues, and for supporting the security agencies in the war, Abubarkar noted that the fight against terrorism cannot be won with the guns alone.

    In his response, this newspaper’s Managing Director, Victor Ifijeh noted that the war against insurgency was a collective exercise, adding that it affects everyone.

    He acknowledged that the media has changed its reportage of security issues, because it was conscious that terrorism thrives in publicity.

    Ifijeh however stated that the media has been severely condemned by those who feel it has gone soft in reporting events as they unfold in the war against Boko Haram.

    While noting that tremendous successes have been recorded by the military, he called on internal security agents to be alive to their duties in order to forestall the infiltration of communities by Boko Haram.

    He said: “We subscribe to the fact that we have no other country but this. It is why we must support your current drive, initiative against terrorists particularly in the north east zone to make it safe for all.

    “As a business, we are equally affected in that part of the country. I am not sure that newspapers do very well in that region now like they used to before the terrorists took over. For days a times, we do not circulate in that region. When we even do, we find it difficult to go and collect our proceeds.

    “Even people who sell for you give you one excuse or the other. So, it is in the collective interest of all that there is peace. This is why we will continue to support the initiative of the current leadership of the military.

    “I believe you started very well because only recently, the Chief of Army Staff went with some journalists to Gamboa. We read features of how he spent the night in that community and that was very good.

    “We have nothing against the authorities. We will continue to corporate with you and do everything that is in the collective interest of the nation.

    “You asked the media to be more patriotic in the way it reports issues about the ongoing war. I will tell you that we have come under serious attack by some people who feel that the media is now soft in the way we report events as they unfold.

    “About four or five months ago, if terrorists struck in any part of the country, it will be a headline news but today, you hardly see that. I remember someone recently tabulated the number of people that have been killed and said within three months, over a thousand have been killed and that the media has been silent.

     

  • Insecurity cripples Northeast hide-and -skin business

    The current security challenge in the Northeast has crippled the hide- and-skin business in Borno State, according to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN).

    While the state-owned shoe-making and hides tannery firm, Neital Nig. Ltd, has been grappling with problems, the bustle that used to characterise the premises of the Maiduguri Central abattoir, is completely gone, especially after the blast that rocked the location some time ago.

    Alhaji Usman Tomsu, General Manager of the Maiduguri Neital Nigeria Ltd, speaking on the experience of the company, said it went comatose after operating for 10 years without making profit.

    “The company had been moribund for nearly two decades, until Gov. Kashim Shettima injected funds in 2013, to enable it jump-start its operations,” Tomsu said.

    “The over N500 million returned profit recorded by Neital Nigeria Ltd in the 2013 fiscal year, was the first major profit made since its establishment 32 years ago.

    “With all necessary equipment in place, we gave ourselves a target of generating at least $1 million profit in the two years of our resumption of full operations, that is from 2013 to 2015.

    “Following that intervention, Neital resumed operations and went into export of finished leathers to Italy and Spain, intensifying sales of finished leather in Nigeria, in addition to production and sales of shoes.”

  • Boko Haram: Saraki seeks foreign assistance for Northeast

    Boko Haram: Saraki seeks foreign assistance for Northeast

    Senate President Dr. Abubakar Bukola Saraki yesterday urged the International Community to assist the Federal Government in the battle against insurgency and help in the rehabilitation of terror-ravaged parts in the Northeast.

    Saraki made the call at separate sessions with the German Ambassador to Nigeria, Mr. Michael Zenner and his Spanish counterpart, Mr. Alfonso Barnudvo Sdbastian De Erice who visited him in Abuja.

    Such assistance, he said, would help in bringing relief to the Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs).

    He bemoaned the humanitarian situation and extent of destruction in the insurgency ravaged areas, saying the situation required urgent and broad support across the world.

    Saraki, who led a delegation of senators to the Northeast on Monday, said government alone cannot shoulder the responsibility of rebuilding the affected areas.

    Said he, “As you talked about insecurity, particularly the insurgency in the North-East, it is a problem that we alone cannot tackle. A couple of days ago, some of us were there in the North-East, in Borno State, to see the effects on the entire community particularly the Internally Displaced Persons.

    “I think that it is clear that a large part of the North-East needs reconstruction and rehabilitation and I think this is an area where long term funding will play a role to help us in rebuilding infrastructure.

    “Those places needed to be rebuilt. There are no schools.  There are no roads. The houses have been destroyed and I think that the international community can assist us by providing funding that will allow us to begin the rehabilitation and reconstruction of these areas.

    “I think this is an area I will like you to focus on and look at the opportunities. Things like these have happened in other parts of the world where international communities have come together and provided a kind of long term funding that will be required for reconstruction.

    “It is clear that from our budget alone, it is not possible for us to fund it and I think it is also not right as leaders to continue to subject Nigerians, old, young men, mothers and their children who have been in camps for years to continue there. I think it is one area that we will like to have your support”.

  • Saraki leads Senators to Northeast

    •Donates N10m to IDPs in Maiduguri

    Senate President Abubakar Bukola Saraki has assured the people of North-East that the entire country is solidly behind them in this time of trial.

    Saraki, who spoke when he led a delegation of the Senate to Borno State, made a cash donation N10m in support of the upkeep of the Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs).

    The delegation was received by Governor Kassim Shettima at the Government House.

    Saraki said: “We have come to feel your pains, to hear what you have been going through firsthand. To seek to understand the severe bloody struggle you have had to endure and go through emotionally, physically, financially and in many other ways which can hardly be put in words.

    The delegation visited the Internally Displaced Persons  camps located at the Umaru Shehu College of Education in Maiduguri and the Government College Maiduguri with over 4000 displaced persons.

    The delegation also visited the Dalori IDPs Camp housing over 18,000 displaced persons from Bama local government of the state.

    Saraki said: “We have come to sit with you and listen to you and hopefully together work out solutions that would significantly change your situation for the better. We believe that after this visit your situation will not be the same again.

    “The mission of our visit is simple; we have come to bring you hope and to let you know that the Nigerian Senate has not abandoned you and real change is coming. We are determined to end this carnage, this senselessness and sorrowful war. We are determined to defeat Boko Haram.

    “The Senate and indeed the National Assembly is willing to support you and your families to ensure that your lives return to normal. We could not in good conscience talk to you from Abuja. No. This new senate would rather come here and this is why we are here,” he stated.

    Shettima stated that the visit was historic and unprecedented.

    He said: “I would like to express my sincere and profound welcome to the Senate President and our respected and distinguished Senators  over this official visit to Borno State, which is the first of its kind by any Senate President since the advent of Civilian Administration in 1999.

    “This is a clear manifestation of your concern for the plight of the people of the Northeast region and Borno State in particular.”

     

  • LaFarge Africa partners PINE to rebuild Northeast

    LaFarge Africa partners PINE to rebuild Northeast

    • Operates accident-free 1, 237 working days

    Lafarge Africa has expressed its desire to assist in rebuilding the Northeast region of the country, following the devastating effects of insurgency.

    To this end, the cement manufacturer is set to partner with the Federal Government, through the Presidential Initiative for the North East (PINE), by contributing to drive the economic turn around and pave the way for long term economic prosperity of the area.

    Its Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Guillaume Roux, who spoke after a meeting with the PINE Committee led by its Chairman, Prof. Soji Adelaja, on yesterday, said the partnership was a step in the right direction for LaFarge Africa as it would ginger the firm to complete its ongoing N100 billion expansion project in AshakaCem in record time.

    “PINE has contributed to our objective of staying in business in all circumstance since the beginning of the insurgence. We are inclined to work more closely with the Committee at a time like this because we view sustainability as a core part of our business. Lafarge is not only a producer of building materials, but solutions provider for building better cities,” he said.

    Roux further the firm is a long term investor in the Northeast in particular, and Nigeria as a whole. This, he said, is evident by its continued presence and increasing investment in the region, in spite of the security challenges.

    Prof Adelaja said the partnership is imperative as it steps up the leadership role of Lafarge as a corporate entity that identifies with the region and strives to accelerate its redevelopment. He urged other operators in the private sector to “follow suit in such noble ventures, bearing in mind that the security of a nation is the bedrock for investment.”

    Meanwhile, Ogun State Comtroller, Federal Ministry Labour and Productivity, Mr Clement Fatoki, has urged industries operating in the state to commit themselves to “safety culture and standards” in their work setting.

    Fatoki said strict adherence to occupational safety and health would reduce accidents in work environments among workers and even management.

    He  spoke in Sagamu, Ogun State, at the 2015 Health and Safety Month of the Lafarge plant said industrial accidents are preventable if people commit themselves to health and safety culture.

    He lauded Lafarge for its safety standard,  saying the cement manufacturing firm “has operated the Sagamu plant for 1, 237 days running with zero accident while Ewekoro plant also recorded 506 working days without accident.”

     

  • Fed Govt distributes materials to 112,000 in Northeast

    The Federal Government has begun the distribution of materials, including food and non-food items, to 112,000 displaced persons and 16,000 households to victims of Boko Haram in the Northeast.

    The government, under the Presidential Initiative for the North East (PINE), will deliver the relief and humanitarian materials to victims of Boko Haram insurgency.

    PINE Chairman, who also chairs the Special Committee on Resettlement and Rehabilitation of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) Prof. Soji Adelaja said the ongoing effort by the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), Red Cross and other partners was meant to reduce the suffering of the displaced persons in the region.

    Adelaja, who was represented by Dr. Tukur Ingawa, spoke during an assessment tour of the distribution of the materials in Borno State, according to a statement by PINE’s spokesman Odutayo Oluseyi.

    The statement said: “The Federal Government has developed a comprehensive redevelopment plan for the Northeast.

    “The materials being distributed are of two categories: food and non-food items, such as rice, spaghetti, salt, vegetable oil, maize, buckets, blankets, detergents, nylon mats, raincoats, sanitary pads, multi-vitamins.

    “The items are estimated to reach 16,000 households and about 112,000 individuals in IDP host communities and home communities in the Northeast.

    “Prof. Adelaja said NEMA and the Red Cross, in collaboration with PINE, have put in place a monitoring and evaluation mechanism to ensure that the materials reach the right people.

    “He urged private organisations, the international community and others well-meaning individuals to support the Federal Government in strengthening the Northeast.”

     

     

  • ‘Tackling insurgency in Northeast’

    The Chairman of the Foundation for Ethnic Harmony in Nigeria (FEHN), Mr Allen Onyema, has urged President-elect Muhammadu Buhari to design interventionist programmes to reintegrate restive youths and displaced persons in the Northeast, especially those affected by Boko Haram insurgents.

    Part of the programmes, he said, should be targeted at reintegrating youths affected by activities of the sect.

    Onyema, who congratulated Buhari on his victory, said the programme should be patterned after the Amnesty programme for Niger Delta youths.

    The crisis resolution expert urged Buhari to carry along all sections of the country through the engagement and reintegration of those affected by one crisis or the other.

    He noted that good governance could only be achieved in an atmosphere of peace and stability.

    Onyema said: “First, the victory of Gen. Muhammadu Buhari is well deserved, after many attempts. It is evidence of his commitment and the pursuit of a cause he believes in. For me, he is the Abraham Lincoln of Nigeria. He has become a story in perseverance.

    But, because his victory at the polls is victory for all Nigerians, he must carry everybody along in his administration.

    “Gen. Buhari must, as a matter of urgency, address the challenges of insecurity facing people of the Northeast. The President-elect must handle the issue with sensitivity on account of Nigeria’s ethnic diversity. There is urgent need for national healing, which must begin in earnest by reintegrating people displaced by insurgency, especially people who are deprived.

    “He must design intervention programmes that would give hope to people affected in the Northeast by the activities of the Boko Haram, not just because Gen. Buhari is from the North but because his administration needs to give hope to people who have been affected by the insurgent activities…”

     

  • Japan’s N750m grant for Northeast

    The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has received a grant of US $ 3.4 Million or N750 million) for Integrated Provision of Life-Saving Emergency Interventions for Vulnerable Populations in the Northeast of Nigeria, from the Government of Japan. The grant will be used for interventions focused on the Internally Displaced Persons and conflict affected populations in the area in the sectors of Water Sanitation and Hygiene, Health, Nutrition, Child Protection and Education.

    The conflict in the Northeast of Nigeria especially in the states of Borno, Yobe and Adamawa has caused large-scale human suffering for the populations in the areas especially children and women. The conflict has triggered major population movements and the number of IDPs in the north east has almost doubled in less than a year, from an estimated 647,000 in May 2014 to what International Office of Migration reports is now around 1.2 million.  Children make up about 56 per cent of those who have been internally displaced, with over half of them being five-years or younger.

    ”This grant is timely and will further boost the work UNICEF is doing in the northeast. It will make a significant life-saving contribution to alleviate the suffering of the affected populations in the northeast especially children and women” said the Officer in charge UNICEF in Nigeria Mr. Samuel Momanyi.

    Since 2000, the Government of Japan has been a major donor to UNICEF supporting interventions in child survival, prevention of infectious diseases in children and emergency interventions in Nigeria, through the UNICEF/Federal Government of Nigeria Programme of Cooperation.

    “I earnestly hope that this grant aid will bring humanitarian assistance to the affected populations, especially children in the northeast of Nigeria” said Mr. Masaya OTSUKA, Chargés d’Affaires ad interim of the Embassy of Japan in Nigeria. “The Government of Japan will continue to cooperate with the people and Government of Nigeria and the international community to mitigate the conflict through nonmilitary assistance, and to support Nigerian people affected by the conflict.”