Rekindling hope in Yobe

When the Boko Haram insurgency struck the North-eastern states of Borno, Yobe and Adamawa, the new phenomenon came with lots of challenges, especially in the area of providing humanitarian assistance to the victims of the insurgency.

The business of providing humanitarian services started in disarray, lacking synergy and coordination among both local and international service providers, leading to duplication, over lapping of functions and, in some cases, diversion of relief materials owing to poor monitoring and evaluation.

Now, as peace gradually returns to the affected communities, there is also massive return of internally displaced persons (IDPs) to the liberated communities. Therefore, there is need for a practical, effective, reliable resettlement, reconstruction and rehabilitation programme.

It was based on this that the Yobe government organized a retreat for federal and state government agencies, United Nations, Presidential Committee on North East Initiative, Victims Support Fund, state Emergency Management Agencies in the North-east, National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), NGOs, community leaders and victims of insurgency, to find a common platform for coordination of effective service delivery.

The state governor, Alhaji Ibrahim Gaidam, said the focus on IDPs was shifting from distribution of relief materials to resettlement, reconstruction and rehabilitation and that there was need to galvanize local, national and global support in addressing the numerous challenges.

He opined that given the monumental humanitarian crisis before the affected states, no government agency or non governmental organization however endowed can handle the situation alone. He expressed hope that the retreat would open a window of opportunity for stakeholders to explore and identify areas of intervention.

Professor Sunday Ocheche, Executive Director Victims Support Fund, hailed the Yobe government for organizing a retreat to strategize with stakeholders on humanitarian services. He said the step has made Yobe State the pacesetter in the resettlement and rehabilitation process.

Abubakar D. Aliyu, the state deputy governor and chairman state committee on resettlement and rehabilitation of internally displaced persons, said the retreat would define expected roles and ensure synergy among federal and state government agencies, development partners as well as produce a comprehensive document on post insurgency intervention plan.

The testimony by Alhaji Sani Sidi, Director General NEMA, that, the Yobe experience of hosting displaced persons in communities rather than camps was an excellent initiative was quite heart-warming and encouraging.

The State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA) was also lauded by UN agencies for its effective distribution of relief materials without reported cases of diversion.

Alhaji Musa Jidawa, SEMA Executive Secretary, said the retreat would provide the necessary coordination for intervention agencies, strategies for recovery plan, empowerment and socioeconomic growth, and monitoring to facilitate the resettlement, reconstruction and rehabilitation.

Dr Maryam Masha, Senior Special Assistant to the President on IDPs attestations on the initiatives maintained that there was hope for victims of insurgency in the state to live normal lives.