The Federal Government has appointed General Theophilus Danjuma, retd, as the Chairman of its interventions programme aimed to assuage the effect of poverty, deprivations and death inflicted on the people of the North East by the notorious Islamic sect, Boko Haram.
The Vice President, Yemi Osinbajo, who disclosed this yesterday at the summit organized by Northern Reawakening Forum, NRF, in Abuja, said that streamlining all the intervention efforts in this way will help to ensure immediate delivery of succours to many of the problems that currently afflict the north east.
He noted that the Federal Government has both short and long term strategies for immediately alleviation of hardship as well as long term plans to build infrastructure that most affect the economic lives of the most vulnerable citizens of Nigeria.
According to him, “Now all of the Federal Government initiatives are now under the chairmanship of General T.Y. Danjuma. We hope that streamlining the efforts in this way will help to ensure immediate delivery of succours to many of the problems that currently afflict the north east.
“We are aware that interventions are not institutions. We have a plan of short term strategy for immediately alleviation of hardship as well as long term plans to build infrastructure that most affect the economic lives of the most vulnerable citizens of our nation. But most importantly, we will make the interventions work” he promised.
The Vice President said further that the government is committed to action and all the issues that affect Nigerians in any part of the country.
He said “A close detailed analysis has been drawn for the north east in collaboration with the affected states and some development organizations. We have been working and streamlining, in particular, government interventions through the presidential initiatives in the north east victims support group and all other initiatives” he said,
While regretting the squalid lifestyle of the people of the north which he attributed to the mismanagement of the resources of the government, Osibanjo said that Nigeria is a nation of 170 million people, the sixth largest producer of oil with over 100 varieties of solid minerals and precious metals ; 100s of thousands of acres of arable land; the largest economy in Africa, yet desperately poor.
For him, over 110 million are extremely poor. Maternal mortality exceeding over 55,000 women a year and 10.4 million children out of school. A nation where, despite the huge human and material resources, a tiny minority has over the years stolen and squandered the common wealth.
“The 19 northern states of Nigeria, human development indices are by far poorer than the rest of the country. The northern states occupy 70 per cent of the landmass of the country. They have the highest infant mortality rate, the lowest rate of child enrolment in school, highest number of unemployed people and of course face the challenge of interreligious conflicts including Boko Haram terrorism.
The National Bureau of Statistics 2015 figure shows that the poorest 10 states in Nigeria are in the north with the exception of Ebonyi State. The northern Nigerian economic summit in Abuja 2012, was one of the first fora to draw the attention to some of the depressing statistics.
In his opening address, the Chairman of the Northern Reawakening Forum, Hon. Mohammed Umara Kumalla regretted the high scale poverty raving the Northern Nigeria, especially the North East and the North West.
Attributing the ugly trend to scope of illiteracy in the affected areas. Kumalla called for urgent private capital investment in education sector in the north.
According to him.”Entrepreneurs, businessmen and other well to do northerners must show example by investing in education.”
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