- PCNI meets service chiefs over terrorism, reconstruction
- Navy to build outpost in Lake Chad
The federal government tuesday said it
was seeking about $400 million World Bank loan to rebuild the North-east
of the country, where Boko Haram terrorists had destroyed many of its
infrastructure and social system.
Chairman of the Presidential Committee
on North-east Initiative (PCNI), Lt. Gen. Theophilus Danjuma (Rtd),
stated this during a visit by the Security and Peace Building
Sub-Committee of the PCNI to the service chiefs in Abuja.
Danjuma who was represented by the
Deputy Chairman of the committee, Alhaji Tijani Tumsah, said the federal
government was committed to kick-starting the robust rebuilding of the
North-east in order to bring normalcy to the troubled region.
He said: “The federal government is
seeking a World Bank loan to rebuild the North-east. These figures will
reach up to $400 million.
“And so we seek collaboration with the
Nigerian Air Force (NAF) in a lot of ways, some of the areas, including
using your experiences to curb violent extremism, disarmament,
mobilisation, construction and renovation of schools.”
Tumsah said going forward, there was
need to enhance the delivery of humanitarian services, adding that the
Armed Forces must not relent in their efforts to make sure that the
insurgency was completely ended.
At the Defence Headquarters, the Chief
of Defence Staff (CDS), General Abayomi Olonisakin, pledged the
military’s unflinching support and collaboration in line with the
committee’s action plan of ensuring a coordinated framework for lasting
peace and stability in the North-east
Represented by the Chief of Defence
Policy and Plans, Air Vice Marshal Bashir Saidu, the CDS said the
military was ready to collaborate with the PCNI in every area that would
obliterate the suffering of the displaced persons and assist in the
speedy rebuilding of the damaged infrastructure.
The CDS commended the quality of the
committee’s membership, stating that all that was needed was a close
collaboration between the military on one side and the committee on the
other side until the war against insurgency was brought to a successful
conclusion.
He added that the military was willing
to provide strategic intervention towards peace building initiatives as
it pushed for continuous synergy with stakeholders in the North-east.
At the Nigerian Air Force Headquarters,
the Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshal Sadique Abubakar, assured the
committee of the force’s readiness to assist the PCNI in its
intervention efforts in the North -east.
Abubakar explained that what was
critical at the moment was the need to ensure that Internally Displaced
Persons (IDPs) returned to their homes and also to support their stay in
the camps and make them a bit comfortable.
The CAS pledged to assist the committee
to transport any humanitarian materials to the North-east as a strategy
to reduce the burden in the region.
At the Naval Headquarters, the Chief of
Naval Staff (CNS), Vice Admiral Ibok Ete-Ibas, who also met with the
PCNI, said plans were underway by the Nigerian Navy to build an outpost
station in the Lake Chad Basin.
Ibas explained that the plan would
ensure that all forms of criminality and terrorism perpetuated by groups
like the Boko Haram would be checkmated.
While commending the efforts of
President Muhammadu Buhari for setting up the committee, Ibas said: “It
is needless to say that this committee is pivotal to sustaining enduring
peace in the North-east by winning hearts and minds of the people and
quickly resettling those affected to their various communities.
“We have the Navy participation through
the on-going operation in the North-east. We also have identified the
strategic importance of the Lake Chad.
“And to that effect, the Navy is currently consolidating on the establishment of the Navy outpost in the area.”
Ibas maintained that the setting up of
the outpost was geared towards resuscitating both military operations
and socio-economic activities within the region.
Meanwhile, the Director of Information,
Nigerian Navy, Rear Admiral Christian Ezekobe, yesterday handed over to
Captain Suleiman Dahun, who takes over in acting capacity.
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