The U.S. Deputy Secretary of State, Mr John Sullivan, on Tuesday announced that his government will contribute an additional $45.5million (about N13.9 billion) to support Nigeria’s stabilisation and recovery efforts in the North-East.
Sullivan, who made the announcement at the U.S.-Nigeria Bi-National Commission, said that a comprehensive response was urgently needed in building a better future in the North-East.
“The United States will contribute an additional $45.5 million to support stabilization and early recovery efforts to help those who have been affected by violence in the North-East begin to rebuild their lives.
“Nigeria’s success does not just depend on its military effectiveness on the battlefield – it requires improvements to the economy and governance off the battlefield, as well.
“In other words, a comprehensive response is necessary to build a better future in the North-East.
“Nigeria cannot simply restore the North-East to what it was before the destruction brought about by Boko Haram and ISIS-West Africa,’’ he said.
The U.S. deputy secretary of state also said that it was imperative for the Nigerian government, civic and community leaders to work together.
Sullivan said that it was important for them to jointly create a durable social, economic, and political infrastructure that would support lasting peace and development for decades to come.
The U.S. official also disclosed his government’s plan to support Nigeria in promoting good governance, peace and economic growth in the Middle-belt, Southeast and the Niger-Delta.
“The United States will continue to support food security and nutrition programming in Nigeria, including development programming focused on the North-Eastern states.
“We recognise that peace, economic growth, and good governance must extend well beyond the North-East to cultivate prosperity across Nigeria from the Northeast, to the Middle Belt, to the South-East, and the Niger Delta,’’ he added.
The Chairman of the Presidential Committee on North-East Intervention (PCNI), Gen. Theophilus Danjuma (retd.), has estimated that about N233bn was needed for the reconstruction and rehabilitation of the communities ravaged by the Boko Haram sect in the North-East.
The chairman of PCNI, who was represented by a member of the committee, Mohammed Danjuma, said the rebuilding of the North-East required proper coordination, cooperation and communication, to alleviate the sufferings of the Internally Displaced Persons.
Danjuma noted that the Federal Government and other stakeholders were determined to manage the humanitarian crisis in the region, adding that the IDPs would return to their communities after the reconstruction of their destroyed communities.
