President Muhammadu Buhari yesterday inaugurated the presidential committee on the north east initiative which will coordinate all interventions in the region ravaged by insurgency.
Speaking during the inauguration, President Buhari disclosed that the worst of insurgency in the north east is over due to the gallant effort of the military .
President Buhari expressed confidence that the committee chaired by former minister of defence, Lt Gen T Y Danjuma, would deliver on its mandate.
According o him,the committee would not exist in perpetuity or isolation, rather, it will exist for a period of three years, where after it is envisaged that a long-term regional development framework or entity may be established.
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Buhari said:”Today marks an important milestone in our desire and determination to restore normalcy and stability to the North Eastern part of our country.”
He asserted that the devastation to human lives and livelihoods by the insurgency in the North East is severe, with more than an estimated 20,000 persons killed, an estimated 2.4 million persons displaced and billions of naira worth of personal and public assets destroyed.
“Many humanitarian intervention efforts, national and international, have worked over time to assist in coping with the task of bringing succour to the IDPs in and outside the region, with most of these efforts aimed at providing short-term emergency assistance and relief to the victims of the violence and displacement,” he stated.
Buhari, however, noted that there remains a need for better coordination of these efforts particularly the humanitarian resettlement and reconstruction of the region.
“Fortunately, the worst of the insurgency is behind us. This we owe principally to the valiant efforts of our military whose gallant efforts have significantly degraded the insurgency.”
