UN To Partner Borno State, NEDC In Resettlement of over 2 Million Displaced Persons.
From right to left:
UN Assistant Secretary General and Special Adviser to the United Nations Secretary General on internal displacement Mr Robert Piper, Managing Director NEDC Mohammed and ED Finance of the Commission Garba Iliya when the UN Assistant Secretary General led UN delegation on a courtesy visit to the Corporate office in Maiduguri.
By Dauda Iliya
The United Nations has promised to strengthen partnership with Borno State government and the North East Development Commission (NEDC) towards the resettlement of over two million displaced persons.
UN Assistant Secretary General and Special Adviser to the United Nations Secretary General on internal displacement revealed Mr Robert Piper made the promise when he led a delegation on a courtesy visit to the Managing Director of the North East Development Commission Mohammed Alkali in Maiduguri, the Borno State capital.
Mr. Piper said the purpose of the visit is to interface with the state government and NEDC on how they have handled the humanitarian crisis and as well address the challenges of IDPs in Adamawa, Borno and Yobe states.
He emphasized that solution to displacement requires investment in infrastructure, healthcare facilities and investment in education.
” When we think of of the 2.2 million persons displaced in the North-East out of which 1.6 are from Borno State, we acknowledge that a lot of people are affected. They need to be on the move, they need to be reintegrated and join communities. We don’t invest exclusively in each family, but we lift the communities and neighbourhoods up” Piper said.
Managing Director North East Development Commission Mohammed Alkali said he was impressed with vision and concerns the United Nations has on plight of the IDPs.
“The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) has supported us in providing technical support in drafting the master plan. The first phase is recovery and stabilisation of the victims of the crisis. We also among others have what we call the renewal phase which focuses on resettled renewal” Alkali explained.
Alkali said the Commission has already developed a master plan for region, assuring to work together with the UN to resettle more victims of terrorism.
