In preparations for resettlement of internally displaced persons affected by the Boko Haram insurgency, Governor Kashim Shettima at the weekend led a Presidential team for on the spot assessments of Bama and Chibok Local Government Areas of Borno State.
The Presidential team was led by Hajiya Zainab Shamsuna Ahmed, Minister of State for Budget and Planning, who is also chairperson of a very Federal inter-ministerial task force on management of Humanitarian crisis in Northeast, Nigeria established by President Buhari in 2016.
The Presidential team also has newly launched task of tackling hunger through massive distribution of food aide to internally displaced persons. The food aide was flagged off by acting President Yemi Osinbajo in Maiduguri some weeks ago.
The Presidential team's visit on Sunday was in furtherance of collaboration with Borno State Government to assessment the possibility of fast tracking reconstructions for safe return of IDP'S to liberated and secured communities earlier occupied or destroyed by violent insurgents.
Shettima and the Minister's team flew from Maiduguri to Bama and Chibok in a military helicopter on Sunday. The two and others in their company, took time to visit the IDP camps, and inspected ongoing reconstruction of schools, health facilities, residential houses and other infrastructures that were destroyed during the hit of the crisis.
In Bama, Minister Ahmed addressed Officers and Men of 21 Armoured Brigade, Stakeholders and Internally Displaced Persons, explaining that the Presidential team was in liberated Boko Haram territories with a Draft Proposal for the State Government's input, and to assess the ongoing efforts in the reconstruction and resettlement process, as well as the distribution of 15,000 Metric tonnes of relief items earlier donated to the State by the Federal Government.
"We are here to seek some answers to a couple of some questions that we have. We know that our gallant Nigerian armed forces have done a lot of work to secure a good number of communities and Local Governments in our State, and that you have identified the need to begin to return people that have left their communities back to their original homes. So we are here to work with you to find out what we need to do to support you in ensuring that your state is secured. We also want to work with you on how we can win the peace, after winning the war. We know that you have done a lot of work in terms of rebuilding Bama and other liberated communities, the FG consider it fit to come together with you to restore hope of our displaced people to come back and pick up their pieces" Ahmed said.
Specifically, she added that in restoring confidence and ensuring adequate security, the FG will work according to the Draft to deploy additional Policemen, Civil Defense Corps and other Para-military bodies to the region to complement efforts of the Military in the fight against insurgency.
"We want to work with you to find out what it is that we need to do to support the people to go back to their traditional farming, or commerce, or whatever trade or business that is predominant in these communities" she added.
Governor Shettima thanked the FG under President Muhammadu Buhari for the sustained effort in degrading remnants of insurgency which has restored hope and peace in the region.
"The visit by the Presidential delegation bears testimony to his assertion that there is light at the end of the tunnel" the Governor noted.
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