 |
| Yobe Depty Gov. Idi Barde Gubana presenting a survenir to Mr. Kallon today in Damaturu |
By JOE Hemba, Damaturu
The United Nation has disclosed that the protracted crisis and the COVID 19 pandemic has forced more than 10.6 million people in the northeast in dire need of humanitarian assistance.
The UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator for Nigeria Mr. Edward Kallon disclosed this at a meeting with officials of Yobe State government in Damaturu, the state capital.
“As we speak, Northeast Nigeria has reached alarming levels of food insecurity and hunger after eleven years of conflict and aggravated by the unset of COVID 19 Pandemic. More than 10.6 million people require humanitarian assistance and protection in the three states of Borno, Adamawa and Yobe, an increase of almost 50 per cent since last year and the highest recorded since current humanitarian operations began due to a combination of conflict and COVID 19,” Mr. Kallon.
The UN Coordinator who is in Yobe State to listen to the people and draw up solutions together on how to better support the population also emphasized that, “there are no humanitarian solutions to humanitarian problem”.
According to him, “the only solution to the conflict in northeast Nigeria is peace and we must prioritize prevention, development where feasible and humanitarian assistance when needed”.
Mr. Kallon also rilled out three solutions to the crisis which according to him include: “1 Continuation of the counter-insurgency and counter-terrorism efforts of the Nigerian Armed Forces and MNJTF to deal with hard core Boko Haram. However, this needs to be complemented with a political/peace building process as stated earlier
“2. Continuation of life saving assistance based on a resilience-based approach to assist the affected population cope with the impact of the crisis, recover from it and engage in transformative change.
“3. Address the root causes of the crisis which include development deficits, multi-dimensional poverty, lack of governance, human rights abuses and; climate vulnerabilities”.
Mr. Kallon commended President Mohammadu Buhari for the establishment of the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development which according to him will streamline coordination of various parastala and ministries, agencies for humanitarian needs.
He announced that the UN through the One UN COVID 19 Response and Basket Fund has mobilized $64 million for the PTF for the procurement of of essential medical supplies and funding in areas of Risk Communication and Community Engagement, Strengthening State level operational capacity in surveillance, infection prevention control, capacity building of health workers etc.
He called on the state to invest in the youth population as they are the furture generation.
Earlier, the deputy Governor of Yobe State, Idi Barde Gubana who represented his boss, Mai Buni thank the UN for their support to the state.
According to Guban, the UN through her agencies has assisted the state in institutional capacity which has help them in managing their meagre resources optimally.
Gubana also encourage the UN to finding a lasting solution for the northeast crisis through a multi-sectoral approach.
Some members of the State Executive councils also contributed their views on how best the Boko Haram crisis could be solved ranging from agriculture, education, youth empowerment and job creation, de-radicalization.
But the UN Coordinator at a joint press briefing informed that all their concerns are being captured in the SDGs.
He noted that the UN system always puts the state actors in the driving seat and supports them to achieve their objectives.
No comments:
Post a Comment