Counter Insurgency: World Bank Team Inspects Recovery Projects in Yobe

Mr. Masroor, Mr. Fuad and Mr. Jidawa at one of the project sites in Damaturu

From JOE Hemba

 

The World Bank Implementation Support Mission under the bank’s   rebuilding initiative of Northeast Nigeria  known as Multi-Sectoral Crisis Recovery Project(MCRP) today Thursday embarked on an inspection tour and support mission of projects executed in Yobe State.

 

MRCP is a World Bank project established in 2017 to improve access to basic services and livelihood opportunities for the crisis-affected communities of Adamawa, Borno, and Yobe States, and enhance coordination among these States and other Lake Chad countries following the Boko Haram insurgency.

The World Bank MCRP Task Team was  led by Fuad Malkawi some of the multi-million naira projects including a standard  reconstructed medical Store of the Ministry of Health, 14 units of Doctors Quarters and a  Modern Women Skills Acquisition Center equipped with children’s demonstration classrooms.

The team also comprised of the National Project Coordinator for the Multi-Sectoral Crisis Recovery Project, Mohammed Danjuma and other technical staff of the North-East Recovery and Stabilisation Programme and North East Development Commission (NERSP/NEDC).

Mr. Malkawi who was satisfied  with the quality of the projects, stressed that,  “the world bank is happy for getting  value for the money that has been spent in Yobe  State for the people who were affected by the crisis”.

Doctors quarters reconstructed by MCRP Yobe

He was however particularly impressed with the communication department for the manner in which they have documented the activities of the project, while promising to share them at the highest platforms of the bank for reference.

Another member of the delegation and Co- TTL Serana Cavicchi  also praised the communication department for carrying out a fantastic job in the documentation of the project’s activities in the state.

Earlier in his welcome remarks, the Yobe State Project Coordinator MCRP, Musa Idi Jidawa underscored the importance of the visits to the state

According to Mr. Jidawa, the visit of the  team  is coming, “with high expectations that the supervision mission will achieve a lot in terms of technical discussions to deepen our understanding of the implementation strategy for the MCRP- Additional Financing”.

He added, “I can recollect, during a similar visit by the team in May this year, a lot has been learned and many frontiers have been unlocked through the technical discussions which involved stakeholders from the line MDAs, contractors and consultants as well as the representatives of the community structures etc.

“The discussions have come up with recommendations which we pursued vigorously to close some identified implementation gaps, especially strengthening coordination. Learning, as we all know, is continuous and cross-cutting, therefore we expect this visit will further explore other frontiers by taking a look at our activities to strengthen implementation capacity”.

“At this juncture, I would like to commend the Task team for their tireless support and for being prompt in reviewing our submissions and timely clearance to commence such activities”, Mr. Jidawa said.

The Yobe Project Coordinator noted that the success of the project in the state is largely attributed to the  dynamic leadership of the State Governor, Mai Mala Buni and the effective engagement with all stakeholders in the state.  .

“Our robust engagement with the line MDAs and other stakeholders has provided leeway for flexibility in identifying and prioritizing the sub-projects and their locations based on complementarity and community needs.

The success of this  engagement going on between the project and its diverse stakeholders in the state is enabled by the dynamic leadership of the Executive Governor of Yobe, Mai Mala Buni which translates into openness and efficiency of the machinery of government, coupled with the people-centred legislature and vibrant citizens.

“These are the foundations on which we ride to succeed and it is highly commendable. We will continue to revolve around this exemplary leadership to drive the aspirations of the good people of Yobe state through the lens of the Project Development Objectives, Mr. Jidawa said.

He regretted the devastating effect of the recent flooding on some of the projects in the state, noting that the flood has taken a serious toll on the livelihood of the people.

His words: “In recent times, recovery efforts in the state have been challenged by Flooding which is one of the manifestations of climate change. Flooding has been widespread across the state due to rainfall variability. As a matter of fact, it has taken a toll on the livelihoods of households through damages to houses causing people to take refuge in public places such as schools.

”Livestock has also been drowned and farmland submerged by the floods while the transportation system has collapsed in major parts of the state, impacting negatively on rural, intra-state and inter-state mobility. This devastating impact of climate change will no doubt reverse some gains accomplished by MCRP, especially under the original financing.

“I hope the task team will consider this as one of its take-ups away from this mission. Climate is natural, but human actions can cause changes in the pattern and dimension of its manifestation and in the same way human action can also mitigate the negative impact of the changes.

The World Bank Team taking briefing at the Medical Store in Damaturu

“Far away in Pakistan, we have received with shock, the sad news about the devastation of flooding leading to loss of lives, damage to critical service delivery infrastructure and properties. May I, therefore, on behalf of the people and government of Yobe state convey our sympathies and condolences to the government and people of Pakistan through Engr. Masroor Ahmad who is here with us for the implementation supervision mission.

“Let me seize the opportunity to once again congratulate all of us for the feat of strength and accomplishment. We will continue to work in this direction up to the end of the project. Let me also appeal to our esteemed stakeholders to avail themselves of the opportunities to be provided by this mission by contributing through suggestions, recommendations and enquiries where necessary so that we can continue to move on the same page as always.

“Our special commendations go to Mr Fuad and his team for the continuous support, by being always available and prompt on our request despite the tight schedules. It is my hope and prayers that you will all enjoy your stay in Damaturu and look ahead to more visits”, he said.

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