The UN Verdict on the Northeast
Aturning point was perhaps reached two days ago in the international focus on the humanitarian crisis rocking the northeast of Nigeria. The United Nations Security Council declared the war-ravaged region “the largest humanitarian crisis” ever in the world. The outlook was made grimmer when the organisation also described the crisis as largely “forgotten and neglected.” By the estimates of the UN, the crisis has affected 14 million people with 8.5 million of them in urgent need of humanitarian attention. These were the observations of the officials who visited the region, which has been the theatre of Boko Haram war in eight years. The officials reportedly spoke with victims in the various camps. The soul-depressing verdict would surely bear some resonance on the Nigeria’s efforts to tackle the crisis as well as the urgent external help this nation needs in the process. The significance of the visit is of immense proportions to the victims of the crisis and the government of Nigeria, which has primary responsibility to restore normalcy in the region.
The UN has not really made any discovery, you may say. And that would be quite right because, in many respects, the pronouncements of the UN are only a confirmation (or an update if you like) of what the various organisations and individuals involved in the humanitarian efforts have been saying for a long time. For instance, this reporter has attempted to draw attention to some of these observations on this page. Sometime ago, the matter was highlighted as follows: “The condition of the Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) deserves greater attention and a more honest and productive approach. The emergency nature of the problem which non-governmental organisations on ground in the northeast have harped on for months recently received an external echo. An alarm has been raised by the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) about the humanitarian crisis burgeoning in the camps of the IDPs in the northeast. It has been estimated that Nigeria is facing the humanitarian question of 2.2 million displaced persons. These persons lack basic needs of food, water, shelter and medical care.
“The situation is worse for children among the victims. It has been reported that tens of children risk dying daily in the camps if urgent care is not provided. The Doctors Without Borders have raised a similar alarm about the fate of the children in the camps. The insurgents have destroyed the homes and farms of the displaced persons. “… The IOM’s reading of the humanitarian dimension of the crisis is not as bright as the official explanation of the developments. Here is the verdict of the IOM Chief of Mission in Nigeria, Enira Krdzalic: ‘The condition of internally displaced people in the northeast is still very precarious. The majority are women, children and the elderly.’ In fact the Director-General of IOM, Wiliam Lacy Wing, puts in a sharper focus: ‘Conditions in the region have now deteriorated to a point where it now meets the criteria required to activate Level 3 Emergency Status, the highest level of humanitarian crisis’. So beyond the readings of the situation within Nigeria, external observers are warning against a humanitarian disaster. There is, therefore, the urgent need to balance the military activities with humanitarian efforts in the northeast.
“For instance, on a positive note, the Nigeria Airforce (NAF) is providing medical services to the people in some areas. In the latest efforts, the NAF has established a 35-bed field hospital in Bama for the care of the IDPs. Before then, the military organisation had established another hospital in Dalori, also in Borno state.
“The example shown by the NAF is that it is not enough to fight, it is also important to care for the displaced. The UNICEF seemed to have been overstretched in its efforts to provide medical care for thousands of displaced in the camps before the timely intervention by the NAF. Other organisations both at home and abroad should intervene in providing relief for the needy in the camps.
“The moral of the foregoing is that there should be a better coordination of the humanitarian efforts. The federal agencies state governments and private organisations involved in the relief efforts should work in unison for optimal use of the limited resources”.
Now, a number of issues have again been thrown up by the visit of the UN Security Council. It is important for government to ponder these issues.
First, the visit was a most appropriate and indeed timely follow-up to the donors’ conference held two weeks ago in Oslo, Norway. Out of the $1.5 million required by the UN in emergency funding this year to avert the looming famine in the Lake Chad region, $672 million was pledged at the conference. Norway, the host of the conference, led the way with a donation of $192 million. The observation of the UN team has further reinforced the urgency of the matter. At the conference, Foreign Minister Geoffrey Onyeama presented Nigeria’s plan of devoting $1 billion to tackle the crisis. It is instructive that a member of the UN team reminded Nigeria of the implementation of its own plan so as to inspire the donors. Senegal’s Permanent Representative to the Security Council, Fode Seck, said: “If you want somebody to help you, you should start by helping yourself. Nigeria government made an interesting pledge in Oslo. We are just from the minister of finance and she explained to us that this government would effectively disburse the money through normal budget process”. It is a moral point that Nigeria should be seen to be taking concrete steps to solve its problems while it seeks the help of the world. The ugency with which Abuja treats this matter might determine the speed of the international response.
Secondly, the government should stop the corruption bedevilling the relief efforts. No donor will be encouraged to put his money in a system fraught with stealing and fraud. Steps should be taken to assure the donors that resources expected to flow in would not go the pockets of corrupt officials and contractors. Those who divert the resources meant for the hungry and homeless should be punished according to the law. In fact, the culprits are committing a crime against humanity.
Thirdly, just as the role of the Niger Delta elite is being interrogated in the resolution of the crisis in that region, it is important to examine the disposition of the elite in the northeast. They are certainly not doing enough. Members of these elite include politicians, civil servants, businessmen, contractors, traditional rulers, public intellectuals and leaders of the nongovernmental organisations. Their voices are not even loud in the advocacy for the relief efforts. For example, the Dangote Foundation has put billions of naira into humanitarian efforts. The foundation has been active in feeding the IDPs. Pray, where are the billionaires from the northeast?
Over and above all, beyond emergency efforts to feed the starving children and care for the homeless families, at the root of the crisis is the lack of development and failure of governance. Boko Haram must be defeated and the displaced persons should be rehabilitated. The northeast is certainly in need of reconstruction. Yet, the enduring solution to the problem of the region like other regions of Nigeria would be the ultimate defeat of poverty and the tackling of the crisis of underdevelopment plaguing the land. This point was also well made by the UN officials. It is a theme to always bear in mind as the resolution of the crisis is vigorously pursued.