The Nigerian government has given details of plans to rebuild the nation’s northeast devastated by over six years of Boko Haram insurgency.
Vice President Yemi Osinbajo gave a breakdown of the reconstruction plan while delivering a public lecture titled “The Unravelling of Boko Haram and the Rebuilding of the northeast of Nigeria” at the Harvard University’s Weatherhead Center for International Affairs.
The Vice President told his audience that the Federal Government led by President Muhammadu Buhari remained committed to rebuilding the devastated North-eastern region through a comprehensive plan that is also transparent.
According to Professor Osinbajo, “The overall objective of the Buhari Plan is to develop a structure and process capable of providing leadership, co-ordination and synergy in achieving its targeted goals”.
He said the goals were to: “Restore peace, stability and civil Authority in the North-East region; co-ordinate the mobilisation of targeted resources to respond to the humanitarian crisis and jumpstart the region’s economies while strategically repositioning the region for long-term prosperity.
“Provide equal access to basic services and infrastructure; promote a civic culture that integrates zero tolerance to sexual and gender based violence with peaceful co-existence as the success indicator.
“Accelerate equal access to quality education for girls as well as boys and building social cohesion; target social and economic development and capacity building that reduces the inequalities affecting the poor, particularly women and youth.
“Address environmental degradation through sustainable measures to halt desertification and protect the Lake Chad resources; physical reconstruction of infrastructure especially schools, hospitals and dwellings in areas considered safe for residents to return”.
Addressing Menace Of Terrorism
Regarding treatment of abused women and girls, Professor Osinbajo said despite the daunting challenge, the government in collaboration with local and foreign partners was establishing special programmes and shelters for abused women and girls.
Citing the case of the recently released 21 Chibok girls and the teenage bomber that refused to blow up herself at the Dikwa IDP camp in February, the Vice President said that the government had a strong commitment to impact on the lives of both the victims of the insurgency and other persons affected.
He stressed the need for concerned Nigerians and donor bodies to partner with the government at all levels to counter the ideology of the insurgents. He pointed out that it was one of the measures of addressing the menace of terrorism.
“After the trauma and deprivations of captivity on the day of their release they looked frightened, malnourished and unkempt. But such is the power of freedom that few days after their release, the girls were seen dancing and rejoicing heartily at a Thanksgiving service where their parents reunited with them for the first time in over two years!
“What the stories of the Chibok girls and that of the converted suicide bomber point to is the certain defeat of Boko Haram insurgency and the waning resonance of its underpinning ideology.
“While we had to put troops on the ground to liberate occupied territories and free captive people in the northeast, we would have to continue the battle for the minds of the radicalized many so that we can have more Aminas of Dikwa saying no to terrorist propositions of death, despair and destruction,” professor Osinbajo stated.
He said the government, however, acknowledged the fact that the most important long term therapy was the assurance that the state had the capacity and the will to protect the most vulnerable.
The Vice President concluded the speech which he delivered on Thursday emphasising the Federal Government’s commitment and strategy in combating Boko Haram and rebuilding the region.
He told the gathering that the strategy was anchored on the government’s anti-corruption posture which would ultimately ensure judicious utilisation of resources for both the military’s operations and in implementing the non-kinetic aspect of reconstructing the northeast.
