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Tag: Vice president

Osinbajo charges Nigerians to live life of gratitude to God

The Vice President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, on Sunday in Abuja, called on Nigerians and Civil Servants in particular, to continue living a life of gratitude to God in any situation.

Osinbajo made the call at a special miracle and thanksgiving service at the Living Faith Church,Jayi, Abuja, as part of activities to mark this year`s civil service week.

He was represented at the service by Pastor Oluseyi Malomo, Chaplin of Aso Villa Chapel.

The Vice President tasked civil servants in the country to remain obedient to constituted authorities; “not in eye service, but in the fear of God’’.

He further charged civil servants to see themselves as not working for man, but working for God who rewards all men.

According to him, this is critical to advance the service and the nation.

Osinbajo expressed optimism that a new “tribe’’ of dedicated Nigerians would soon emerge that would have firm believe in the country`s development and work toward it.

Pastor John Ugwu offered special prayers for the country`s leadership, all of its sectors and the civil service in particular.

Ugwu charged Christian faithful to continue leaving godly lives, stressing that it was the only way to ensure good living and prosperity.

The Head of the Civil Service (HOS) of the Federation, Mrs Winfred Oyo-Ita, called on Nigerians to give civil servants a second chance.

Oyo-Ita said this was necessary to enable them prove themselves as rebranded work force that was poised to ensure the enthronement of a better country.

She also charged Nigerians to continue to pray for the country`s leadership, adding that; “there is nothing a man can do without God on his side’’.

This year`s civil service week, will bring government ministries, departments and agencies together for various activities and sporting events in the spirit of one public service.

Oyo-Ita is expected to perform the ground breaking ceremony of the 1,000 housing units of the Federal Integrated Staff Housing (FISH) programme as party off activities for the week.

Some distinguished civil servants will also be recognise and rewarded within the week, at a dinner expected to hold at the Presidential Banquet Hall.

An ICT infrastructural Digital Centre is also expected to be launched at the knowledge access venue in the office of the HOS.

It’s expected that the week will give members of the public an opportunity to better appreciate the civil service and the workings of government.

The civil service week is a global annual event which seeks to recognise the value of the services rendered by federal public service employees and their contributions to the federal administration.

The church service was attended by top government functionaries among others.

July 31, 2016
Osinbajo, APC governors storm Benin for governorship flag off

* as security operatives take Ogbemudia stadium, it’s environs

The Vice President, Professor Yemi Osinbajo and All Progressives Congress Governors will on Saturday storm Benin City, the Edo state capital for the official flag off of the All Progressives Congress Governorship campaign of Godwin Obaseki for the September 10th election.

This was disclosed by the state Chairman of the party, Barrister Anselm Ojezua yesterday while speaking on the preparation on ground for the flag off.

Ojezua said some of the governors will arrive Friday evening ahead of campaign on Saturday.

He also said arrangements are on to mobilize all Edo people in and outside the state for the flag off.

The APC Chairman further revealed that some notable People’s Democratic Party members in the state will pick tent with All Progressives Congress at the flag off.

Meanwhile, Security Operatives have taking over the Samuel Ogbemudia Stadium venue of the flag off and its environs ahead of the APC governorship flag Off on Saturday.

Vehicular movement have been diverted from stadium road, the popular Akenzua road, Zabayo and Plymouth road, while soldiers have also taking over some strategic zone around the stadium.

July 15, 2016
Osinbajo urges business practitioners to embrace arbitration

The Vice President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, has urged business practitioners to embrace commercial arbitration for the desired speed in dispute resolution to attract international investors.

Osinbajo made the plea in a message to the opening of the First International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) Regional Conference on Monday in Lagos.

The vice president, who was represented by the Minister of Justice and Attorney-General, Mr Abubakar Malami, said that dispute resolution mechanism was a factor in all investments’ decisions.

He said that dispute resolution constituted a significant determinant of a country’s ranking in doing business, adding that disputes were common in business environment.

“Every prudent society must design and constantly draw the processes through which disputes could be resolved in an amicable manner.

“In the world of today, commercial arbitration is now recognised as a preferred method of solving several commercial disputes.

“Arbitration is now seen as not only possessing the desired speed but also aggregating competency and often times, relationship is tied to this process,“ Osinbajo said.

He, however, urged conference participants to take time in addressing critical issues which would expand legal arbitration as a desired tool for dispute resolution in Nigeria.

Also speaking, the President, of ICC in Paris, Mr Alexis Mourre, commended Nigeria for hosting the first Africa Regional Arbitration Conference.

Mourre said that with more engagements and interactions on arbitration, commercial practitioners would recognise the arbitration; just like common law and civil laws.

He said that ICC was one of the institutions which adopted arbitration, adding that 70 per cent of world arbitration came from ICC.

Mourre said that more people were needed in Africa to adopt arbitration.

“Arbitration is booming in Africa. No future of arbitration without African arbitration. Yet it is still difficult to find good arbitrators in Africa.

“We hope that at the end of the conference, we will be seeing more arbitrators in Africa,“ the News Agency of Nigeria quotes Mourre as saying.

The Chairman, Planning Committee, Nigeria ICC, Mrs Dorothy Ufot, said that the theme of the three-day event, scheduled to hold from June 19 to June 21, is “Arbitration and Africa: Prospects and Challenges’’.

She said that the planning committee came up with the idea as a result of Africa being the next major destination for Foreign Direct Investments (FDIs) by the international community.

Ufot urged the international community to support Africa’s efforts to promote economic growth and investments.

She said that the interest of investors across the continent was so numerous that oil mining companies were looking forward to developing natural resources.

“The investors are also interested in infrastructure, technology, agri-business, consumer goods and manufacturing companies that would create sustained growth and create jobs and improved livelihood.

“There is no how commercial disputes will not arise during the processes and the conference aims at setting background for their resolution,’’ Ufot said.

According to her, ICC Nigeria is an affiliate of ICC Headquarters in Paris.
She said that ICC in Paris had ICC International Court of Arbitration as one of its operational arms.

Ufot recalled that ICC was established in 1919 in Paris, which was one of the largest business organisations in the world with over six million companies and chambers of commerce and business associates in more than 130 countries including Nigeria.

She said that the conference had been taken all over the world, adding that Nigeria was grateful to host the First ICC Regional Conference.

Ufot also commended the president of ICC International for ensuring that the conference holds in Nigeria.

“All countries in Africa are busy trying to attract foreign investments. You will agree with me that without international arbitration, there cannot be foreign investors.

“In any jurisdiction, arbitration is one of the viable components of attracting foreign investors,’’ she said.

Ufot, however, commended organisations that supported the Nigeria ICC Conference such as Global Network, Dangote Company, NBA, Nigerian Shippers’ Council, Nigerian Ports Authority, among others.

June 20, 2016
Why FG didn’t name looters – Osinbajo

Vice President, Yemi Osinbajo on Monday said that releasing the names of persons from whom the Federal Government has recovered looted funds and assets may jeopardize ongoing investigations.

The government at the weekend released a list of sums of monies and assets already recovered in the last one year without the names of individuals involved.

Speaking during a meeting with a delegation of the European Union led by the EU Ambassador in Nigeria, Mr. Michel Arrion, at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, Osinbajo said that not releasing the names is the best way to go.

In a statement by his Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Laolu Akande, Osinbajo said: “We have released the list of recovered loot, we know people are asking for the names, but releasing the names may jeopardize ongoing investigations,”

He also explained that the federal government is engaging leaders and people of the Niger Delta regarding the spate of attacks on oil installations in the area, an act he stated amounts to economic sabotage.

Besides reaching out to the people in the area, he said that the government is also beefing up security in the area.

According to him, the focus of the Buhari presidency “is to ensure that the man on the street in the Niger Delta receives the benefit from all that is available there.”

The Vice President also called on the leaders in the region to be accountable to the people.

Prof. Osinbajo added that government is working round the clock to minimize the losses arising from the attacks.

“We are talking, we are ensuring that we minimize losses and we are stepping up security. We are also engaging the international oil companies, IOCs, to see what options exists,” he said

The Vice President restated government’s commitment to drive its diversification policy and encouraged investors from European countries to take advantage of the situation especially in the agro-allied/processing industry.

He restated the determination of the administration to ensure that the ease of doing business ranking in Nigeria goes up by at least 20 steps in the World Bank rating.

To this end, he said the President has approved the composition of a Presidential Commission on the matter to be chaired by himself, and Industry, Trade & Investment Minister, Dr. Okey Enelamah as Vice Chairman.

“In the next few months, we should be seeing some changes,” he promised.

Speaking earlier, Ambassador Arrion said he came to hold consultations with the Vice President as a follow-up on President Buhari’s meeting with EU leaders during his visit to the continent.

He said: “Nigeria has a huge market we can invest in. It is also a place we can export from.”

Both the Vice President and the European Union Envoy also discussed the EU trade deal with ECOWAS, the Economic Partnership Agreement, EPA, which was also one of the main issues tabled at the meeting of West African leaders at the weekend in Dakar.

June 6, 2016
FG expresses commitments to certify, tap iron ore

Vice President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo has said that the Federal Government is committed to tapping iron ore in the country and certify the about 70 percent of the deposits still unproven.

Nigeria which is the 12th largest iron ore resource country in the world is also the second largest in Africa.

Speaking at the foundation laying ceremony of Kam Steel Integrated Complex at Jimba Oja in Ilorin on Thursday, Osinbajo said that the federal government is currently looking at options to solve the challenge facing tapping of iron ore.

The options, he said, include synergising government capacity and private sector competencies for certifying existing deposits.

According to a statement by the Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Laolu Akande, Osinbajo also noted that steel is the world mosts important engineering material and that the Buhari presidency is determined to bring about a faster industrialization process in the country through the active development of the steel sector.

Stressing that Nigeria has about 2 billion metric tonnes of iron ore reserve, he said: “We must be extremely ambitious in our industrialization efforts”.

He called on other operators in the steel industry in the country to ensure Nigeria becomes a net exporter of steel within the shortest possible time.

The Vice President who was accompanied by the Kwara State Governor, Abdulfatah Ahmed and Solid Minerals Development Minister, Dr. Kayode Fayemi, among others, spoke to a gathering of captains of industries, financial experts, political leaders and stakeholders at the foundation laying ceremony, disclosing that as part of demonstrating its commitment to the industrial development of the country, President Muhammadu Buhari had directed that everything be done so that Nigeria can make progress in respect of ease of doing business ranking this year.

Prof. Osinbajo said that the federal Government has been putting in place the right macro-economic policies and is working to ensure an enabling environment for business to grow in line with the Change Agenda of the Buhari administration.

He said: “This is why the President has given clear instructions that we must make signifiant progress in the ease of doing business ranking this year. Diligent efforts are being undertaken to ensure this goal is achieved, including the setting up of an inter-ministerial committee, which has since commenced work with a very keen presidential oversight.”

He also commended Kam Steel Integrated Company Ltd. for its business achievements stating that the commitment of the company is in tandem with the vision of the government to diversify the nation’s economy by encouraging the growth of local industries.

Dr. Kayode Fayemi who also spoke at the occasion described the event as historic observing that the achievement of the company was capable of galvanizing the development of the sector as a whole.

He described the company as having the single-largest private investment in the nation’s steel industry.

According to him, the presence of the Vice President, “the head of our Economic Management Team,” at the foundation laying ceremony is “a demonstration of the commitment of the Buhari administration to the diversification of the Nigerian economy.

The Governor, Abdulfatah Ahmed commended the company for its consistent giant strides in the sector, and praised it for promoting the use of 100% local raw materials and boosting employment in the state.

He called on other stakeholders in the steel industry to join in the acceleration of Nigeria’s industrialization.

Vice President Osinbajo had earlier inspected Kam Steel Rolling Mills factories in Ilorin, where the company is engaged in the production of corrugated iron sheets, building wires, nails, and others before participating in the foundation laying ceremony of the new Kam Steel Integrated complex in Jimba Oja by Ganmo, Ilorin, Kwara State.

On arrival in Ilorin, he paid a courtesy visit on the Emir of Ilorin, Alhaji Dr Ibrahim Sulu Gambari where he congratulated him for the business feat being achieved in the Emir’s domain.

The Emir in his response commended the efforts of Federal Government at tackling the nation’s numerous challenges particularly the herdsmen-farmers conflict.

Also present at the ceremonies were the deputy governor of Kwara State, Elder Peter Kishira, members of Kwara State Executive Council, the CEO of Kam Industries, Alhaji Kamorudeen Yusuf, representatives of the Minister of Trade, Industry and Investment, Bank of Industry, Wema Bank, CEOs of some government parastatals in the sector, captains of Industries, religious leaders and traditional rulers among others.

May 26, 2016
Solution to Africa’s power problem in fossil fuels, coal – Osinbajo

Vice President Yemi Osinbajo on Tuesday declared that the perennial power problem in Africa could be solved though alternative energy sources like fossil fuels and coal.

He spoke at the High Level Roundtable on the theme: Energy and Climate Change at the ongoing general meeting of the African Development Bank (ADB) in Lusaka, Zambia.

According to him, about 45 percent of Africans don’t have access to power in the world.

He therefore called on African leaders to develop the sector.

Osinbajo also said that the issue of climate change should be taken serious by the leaders.

He said: “For us, priority today is development and we have to take development seriously.

“We are faced with a very dire situation and in most of Africa, we simply don’t have power and without power, there is very little that can be done.

“We think that renewable energy and all of the concern about Climate Change are important, but we must prioritise development,” he said.

Nigeria, he said, was an example of one country enriched with hydro-carbon enriched countries.

“We have to leverage all that we can get from fossil fuel, coal is also important,” he added.

According to him, the arguments about renewable energy are well-noted and Nigeria has the capacity for, and is going to tap into solar energy.

But he stressed that: “We are dealing with a major (developmental) problem.”

The Vice President also said that it was possible that the twin issue of energy development and environmental concerns could be taken on simultaneously.

African leaders, he noted, needed the technology from the developed countries to make clean coal.

He said: “We think that we must use our fossil fuel to the maximum. We must use our coal to the maximum, and we simply call on the support of the developed nations that are aggressive about reducing emissions, especially in coal power plants to give us the technology that is required because obviously there is available technology to make coal clean and we simply call upon them to give us that technology.”

While Africa was the least contributor to global emissions, he said that the continent is also the hardest hit by the whole consequences of climate change.

“That is the paradox. But that paradox becomes jeopardy when we are being asked to take the greater burden of resolving the problem of climate change, so we really need the help of the west in particular,” he added.

Speaking on some of the limitations of solar power, the Vice President said “we must bear in mind that for industry for example, the base load power is critical, the base load power is so much more difficult to get from solar power for example…so we must understand that our immediate need requires the base load power that can move us forward quickly and that we would get from fossil fuel, hydro power and coal fire plants.”

Other speakers at the panel included the presidents of Zambia, Edgar Lungu, and Chad, Idriss Deby Itno, who is also the current Chairman of the African Union.

The President of Rwanda, Paul Kagame, Prime Ministers and senior ministers from several other African countries were also in attendance at the formal opening event of the meeting where the President of the ADB, Dr. Akinwunmi Adesina observed that the presence of several African leaders at the meeting was an expression of their support for the bank.

May 24, 2016
Ambode’s achievements in one year commendable – Buhari

President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Muhammadu Buhari on Monday commissioned series of projects in Lagos State, just as he commended the achievements of the Governor Akinwunmi Ambode administration in one year.

Buhari who was represented at the events by the Vice President, Professor Yemi Osinbajo, said Lagos under Governor Ambode has continued to maintain its leading role in delivering good governance to the people.

Speaking at the commissioning of the Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA) Response Unit in Cappa area of Oshodi, his first point of call, Buhari described the facility as not only the first of its kind in Nigeria, but one that would go a long way to improve response time during emergency situations.

He said, “With this special rescue unit, it is evident that we have moved a notch higher. There is no question at all that this facility is a world class facility.” The LASEMA Response Unit boasts of an initial acquisition of 51 equipment including three Forklifts, one Crane, 13 trucks, 10 Paramedic Motorbikes, two Fire Trucks, Ambulances, among others.

President Buhari, who later commissioned the Ago Palace Way, Okota, described the initiative of the State Government to build the road as a fantastic idea, saying the road was an important economic road that would promote trade and investment and enhance movement along that corridor.

The Ago Palace Way is a link road that connects about four local governments and providing a viable alternative route for motorists trying to access Festac, Mile 2 and Apapa areas of the State with ease thereby reducing travel time.

At the Tafawa Balewa Square, Lagos, where he handed over security equipment purchased by the State Government to the tune of N1.85billion, the President said that it was a testament to the premium the administration of Governor Ambode has placed on safety of lives and property of its citizenry.

Among the equipment commissioned include 140 brand new Ford Ranger Pick-Ups and 335 Power Bikes fitted with communication gadgets, Helmets, Bullet Proof vests and other kits.

The President said, “I have also seen already so much attention being paid to security and just earlier on we were at the LASEMA rescue operation unit which we just commissioned. Also here, we are about to commission several security equipment donation to the police and security agencies. In fact virtually all the security agencies including immigrations and Customs including NDLEA are to benefit from this latest gift of the Lagos State Government.

He said the State Government was blazing the trail with several commendable projects, including the two roads being constructed in each of the 20 local governments and 37 local council development areas of the State.

“I must also say that I am impressed with the fact that the whole effort at security is an integrated one and so we have the Light up Lagos being an important component of that whole effort. I want to say that the Governor of this State deserves our commendation and all of the praise and support that he is getting”

He assured that the Federal Government would continue to support the State Government to actualise several projects, noting that the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, Lagos-Kano and Lagos-Calabar are projects embedded in the 2016 Budget which would benefit the State immensely.

In his remarks, Governor Ambode said that the LASEMA Response Unit, aside the initial goal to significantly bring down response time by responders, the State Government is working tirelessly to roll out dispatch centres across key areas within the State with the goal of further reducing response times.

Governor Ambode, who also spoke at the commissioning of the security equipment, said it was in further demonstration of his administration’s resolve to strengthen the capacity of the security agencies.

He said the vehicles and equipment would be distributed among the 107 Police Stations and 13 Police Area Commands in Lagos State, and all the security agencies would also be beneficiaries of the equipment.
The Governor said, “These items are critical facilities required to address security and emergency challenges peculiar to modern city States like ours. It is our expectation that all these efforts, in addition to the “Light up Lagos” initiative and the Smart-City project, will guarantee a safer and more secure environment for business and leisure.”

Governor Ambode also said that aside up scaling the security infrastructure, his administration was also giving attention to the welfare of the security personnel through payment of allowances and provision of insurance facilities to compensate for any unfortunate incident while on active duty.

“In addition, officers and men who demonstrate bravery, gallantry and high level commitment to duty are being acknowledged and appropriately rewarded,” he said.

Responding on behalf of all the security agencies, Inspector General of Police, Mr. Solomon Arase thanked Governor Ambode for the security equipment, and assured that they would be put to optimal use.

Arase, who recalled that the security equipment was the second donation within six months by Governor Ambode, said the donation has led to the reduction of crime in the State.

He said, “When you (Governor Ambode) gave us the first set of equipment, I did promise you that to whom much is given, much is expected and the officers and men of the Command have worked tirelessly and assiduously to ensure that the crime rate in Lagos is within tolerable limit that will attract foreign direct investment and other investment in the State.

“I can’t thank you enough but I can also promise you today that we are not going to rest on our oars. We will continue to work and ensure that the peace and stability of Lagos State is guaranteed.”

May 23, 2016
Buhari calls off Lagos trip

President Muhammadu Buhari has cancelled his earlier scheduled visit to Lagos State.

Vice-President, Yemi Osinbajo will now represent the President on the Lagos trip.

The visit billed for Monday and Tuesday will witness commissioning of several projects in the state.

Confirming the new development on Sunday, the Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Femi Adesina, did not give any reason for the cancellation of Buhari’s visit to the state.

He said: “The truth is that the Vice-President will now represent the President in Lagos.

“There is nothing wrong if the Vice-President represents the President at functions,” he stated

May 22, 2016
Osinbajo to Nigerians: We’ll change Nigeria for the better

Vice President Yemi Osinbajo on Saturday reassured Nigerians that the question of Change in the country was irrevocable and the present administration was completely committed to it.

He spoke at a town hall meeting organised in Lagos by a group, United Action for Change, urging Nigerians never to lose hope.

The VP re-emphasised that the Buhari-led administration was committed to changing the nation for the better.

Osinbajo said that change was not a mere slogan as the country could not survive going the way it had always gone.

“The question of Change is irrevocable,’’ he said, assuring Nigerians that things, though difficult, would be better.

“I know that Nigerians are going through a very difficult time, so does the President. There is the power problem, there is fuel scarcity, even inflation, oh yes, but these are birth pains.

“You can be sure this is not going to be the end of the story; as a matter of fact, the end of the story is going to be a story of prosperity and abundance for the nation,’’ he said.

Vice President Osinbajo said that there was a determination by the government to ensure that the country changes its direction and the best chance to do so successfully was with a honest and straightforward leader like President Buhari.

He said that the present leadership of the country had no other agenda than to change the country for the better.

“We have no other agenda .You can look at our balance sheets after our tenure and you will find that we have not enriched ourselves,’’ he said.

The Vice President, who answered 20 questions put to him by the audience, said that the government was working to end the problem of recurrent fuel scarcity in the country.

He said that the government was among other things, asking or co-location of refineries by the private sector and some investors were already showing interest.

Osinbajo also said that the government was also committed to the health insurance scheme the All Progressives Congress (APC) campaigned about during its electioneering.

“We intend, by the end of our administration, to have a complete coverage,’’ he said,

Osinbajo said that the N500bn social protection fund would revolutionalise the nation’s social security scheme.

He said that Nigeria’s economy was already diversified and the government only needed to encourage each of the sectors to stimulate growth and make them bring in more revenue.

The VP also told the gathering that the government believed that the most effective way to move goods and people from one point to another was through rail and one of its biggest projects was in the area of railways.

He blamed the present power problems in the country on vandalism among other problems and promised that the government was addressing the problems to make things better.

Earlier, Dr Muiz Banire, (SAN) and the APC National Legal Adviser as well as the convener of the meeting, said it was a feedback forum to enable the government to know where the shoes were pinching the people.

“We engage in mass education of the public and the essence of this maiden town-hall meeting is to establish contact between the government and the people,’’ he said.

Banire, also a former Commissioner in Lagos State under former Governors Bola Tinubu and Babatunde Fashola, said that the group comprised people from all walks of life.

April 23, 2016
North East rehabilitation to gulp $9 billion

The office of the Vice President, Yemi Osinbajo on Monday maintained that an estimated sum of $9 Billion would be required to rehabilitate and reconstruct damaged infrastructures in the six North-East States of Adamawa, Bauchi, Borno, Gombe, Taraba and Yobe.

Out of it, over $6 billion is immediately needed to commence the recovery of the northeast region of Nigeria.

From a report of an exercise jointly carried out by the Federal Government, the United Nations, the European Union and the world bank after the completion of the 2-day validation and consensus building workshop at the Transcorp Hilton Hotel in Abuja which the representatives of the six affected states of Adamawa, Borno, Yobe, Gombe, Bauchi and Taraba to review findings and chart way forward, the office announced that the world bank has pledge to make available $800 million towards the rebuilding of the region.

A statement issued on Monday by the Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Laolu Akande, said: “The joint efforts of the federal and state governments with the global partners would now be directed to prioritizing the needed interventions and projects, arranging their sequence and coming up with an action plan.”

The statement quoted the Sector Manager, Urban Development and Disaster Risk Management at the World Bank Headquarters in Washington, Mr. Idrissa Dia as saying that the physical participation of the Bank at the validation workshop last week in Abuja is an affirmation that the global financial institution is encouraged by the initial feedbacks on the findings of the recovery and assessment.

He also reaffirmed the Bank’s commitments and support towards the overall success of the planned interventions.

Mr. Dia said the World Bank was set to mobilize other bodies in the World Bank Group and partners that might be interested beyond the existing donors on the project.

“In line with the magnitude of the needs we are confronted with, we would like to also mobilize beyond the set of donors here,” he said.

The European Union’s Acting Head of Cooperation, Mr Juan Casla expressed satisfaction with the findings of the assessment, saying with the leadership displayed in the process by the Federal Government, the different states and the international donor agencies, the EU was now ready to discuss the pledges it made and move forward with implementation in collaboration with other partners and the Government of Nigeria, both at the Federal and State levels.

“These findings provide shared understanding between the Government of Nigeria and its humanitarian and development partners on a set of priotized, sequenced interventions and the EU as a member of the International partnership involved in this assessment is ever- committed towards ensuring the implementation of these findings,” Casla stated.

Mr. Casla said from his experience in such interventions, he has seen that the team led by the Senior Special Assistant to the President on IDPs, Dr. Marian Masha has been able to put in place a thorough assessment in a complex and challenging situation in the North East.

According to the UN representative at the event, Mrs. Jean Gough, the United Nations was pleased with the successes of the assessment, harping on the readiness of the World body to provide technical and other humanitarian support towards achieving the goals of the post-assessment phase of the planning.

Further findings by the joint committee also revealed that the six states would need $6.4 billion to undertake recovery efforts to cushion the devastation inflicted on the North-East Region between 2011 and 2015.

The assessments were carried out under the three main components of Infrastructure and Social Services, Peace Building, Stability & Social Cohesion, and Economic Recovery with focus on cross-cutting issues such as governance and accountability, citizen engagement, institutional capacity for implementation, gender, youth, human rights and de-mining.

The Senior Special Assistant to the President on IDPs, Dr. Marian also disclosed that Borno state was worse hit by the crisis with a loss of $6 billion.

The region, she said, suffered damages worth $3 billion in housing alone while it also suffered damages in terms of livestock which brought about the need to restore agriculture in the region.

She said “what this process brings home is that it helps to create a platform to harmonise resources, to coordinate better, support and planning at the federal and state levels, and support also from international donors and partners.”

Similarly, the Nigeria Recovery and Peace Building Assessment (RPBA), a process that assesses the physical, social and economic impacts of the crisis in the North-East, made finding on the zone, revealing that Yobe and Adamawa states were next in devastation, adding that the destruction in other parts of the region is enormous but with less gravity.

Dr. Masha said that no fewer than 20,000 lives were lost while 1.8 million people were displaced by the Boko Haram insurgency and the planned interventions are to be implemented over time, in view of resources that are available for its implementation.

“Crisis recovery in the North-East is a priority of the Nigerian Government and this has been demonstrated by the ownership and leadership of the recovery assessment process, it has helped in securing the continued support of the partners, donors and other critical stakeholders.

“The plan and implementation strategy are critical to the success of the recovery efforts. It is not so much about the amount of financial resources that are available, but how we are able to utilize the resources and the capacity to put them to use”, Dr. Masha remarked.

A Three–volume report of the Nigeria Recovery and Peace Building Assessment (RPBA) recommended a 2-phase strategic plan of two years for stabilization and a recovery phase of 2 years to restore the North-East to progress and development.

The two phases of stabilization and recovery were fluid and would run concurrently, covering such areas as agriculture, housing, transportation and education over the period.

These strategies according to Akande’s statement “would help reduce suffering in affected communities, restore a sense of normalcy and regain the trust of people in the region.

The statement also “recalled that the Federal Government had in January unveiled this assessment programme, which is a joint, high-level collaboration between the Government of Nigeria and three global development partners – the World Bank, EU and the UN – aimed at supporting Government in its short and medium term efforts towards peace building and sustainable recovery in the North-East region of the country.”

April 4, 2016