• Okays fresh $92m humanitarian assistance for IDPs
THE United States government has said that it agreed with Nigeria on the priorities of President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration.
It said that the government was focused on the need to defeat the Boko Haram insurgency, the fight against corruption, and the importance of successfully diversifying the Nigerian economy.
US Ambassador to Nigeria, Stuart Symington, while speaking at US-Nigeria Bi-National Commission working level meeting in Abuja, noted that the United States government supports progress on all of the priorities with a strong bipartisan consensus that has been sustained over many administrations.
He said that the US will continue to advance the effort, working with Nigerians of all walks of life and in all parts of the country.
He said, “We will do so because Nigeria’s success and prosperity matters to its people, to the continent, and to the United States and the rest of the world.
“The next meeting of the Bi-National Commission will take place in 2017 with a high-level meeting. At that time, we will review the progress we have made and identify opportunities to strengthen the relations between the United States and Nigeria.”
Meanwhile, the United States government has announced nearly $92 million in additional humanitarian assistance to people affected by the ongoing conflict and severe food insecurity in Nigeria and throughout the Lake Chad Basin region.
With the announcement, the United States would be providing more than $291 million in humanitarian assistance since the 2016 fiscal year to people affected by the Boko Haram-related conflict and the related humanitarian crisis.
According to a statement from the US embassy in Abuja, the new funding to United Nations and non-governmental organisation partners will help tens of thousands of people receive critically needed humanitarian assistance, including food, water, shelter, and services to address acute hygiene, protection, and nutritional needs.
The statement noted that, “In Nigeria, Niger, Cameroon and Chad, the conflict has left more than 6.4 million people in need emergency food assistance and displaced 2.6 million people.
“The United Nations estimates an additional $1 billion is needed to meet the humanitarian needs of people in 2017.
“The United States calls on other donors to contribute additional humanitarian assistance for the millions of people in the region whose lives have been affected by Boko Haram.”