By: Aisha SD Jamal, Maiduguri.
The United Nations Humanitarian Coordinator in Nigeria, Mr Edward Kallon has said that out of 38,000 internally Displaced Persons in Bama camp of Borno State, northeast Nigeria, 7000 are sleeping in open space for lack of shelter.
Kallon disclosed this yesterday at a joint press briefing with the deputy governor of the state, Usman Khadafi and the leadership of the private sector initiative led by Mrs Ibukun Awosika ( Chairperson of First Bank ), after their tour of some IDPs camps in Maiduguri.
He said the situation of the IDPs is not acceptable considering that there is little intervention for their well being.
He said the UN / private sector Initiative is not in anyway duplicating the functions of the newly established Northeast Development Commission (NEDC ) but fostering partnership with the state authority and NEDC .
Kallon said: the $80 million being mobilized will be used for humanitarian needs which include water, sanitation , health, protection, shelter and education among others.
“We are clear in mind that the material needs are critical . We are also clear in mind that the root causes of this crisis are environmental and we are also clear in mind that the only solution to this crisis is peace. So we are looking for efforts at peace building to find a solution to crisis.
The leader of the private sector Initiative team who is also the Chairperson of First Bank Of Nigeria ( FBN ) , Mrs Ibukun Awosika , said the goal of the private sector is to get every Nigerian to be involved in the financing of the project.
Awosika who led some partners in the leading Nigerian companies from the banking, energy and legal sectors, described the initiative as the first-ever joint humanitarian fund in which the private sector is partnering with the UN and Nigerian business leaders to raise fund for rebuilding of Northeast.
She said that the joint initiative seeks to harness the financial resources and expertise of Nigeria’s private sector to contribute to a more effective and timely humanitarian response in Northeast.
Responding, the deputy governor of Borno state, Usman Khadafi commended UN for coordinating and bringing in the private sector to address the humanitarian crisis in Borno state.
The deputy governor added that the state government is committed towards the provision of security for citizens, noting that without peace nothing can be achieved.
“I want to thank the private sector for giving back to the society. I want to also state that the Borno state government will create an enabling environment for development partners to operate and also ensure that whatever that is meant for our people will be judiciously used,” Khadafi said.