N/East: Donors pledge $670m aid to Nigeria at Oslo summit on food crisis

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8 years ago

The United Nations and hosts of Friday’s Oslo Humanitarian Conference on North-East Nigeria and the Lake Chad Region have expressed appreciation to donors for their pledges aimed at addressing the humanitarian crisis brought about by years of Boko Haram insurgency.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reported that donors pledged more than $670 million at the UN-backed conference hosted by Norway in conjunction with Nigeria and Germany to support aid operations in the region.

NAN also reported that at the conference, 14 donors pledged $458 million for relief operations in 2017 and an additional $214 million was announced for 2018 and beyond.

The UN Secretary-General, António Guterres welcomed the pledges and stressed the need for sustained support to humanitarian, human rights, development and security needs in the region.

Expressing appreciation for the contributions, the UN Emergency Relief Coordinator, Stephen O’Brien, said apart from devastation left by the Boko Haram terrorism, “the region is also threatened by famine, with children at high risk of severe acute malnutrition.

“The resources pledged at the conference will help scale up responses to reach the most vulnerable people with a special attention focused on the protection needs of women, children and youth, as well as the need for longer-term support and durable solutions for the displaced populations,” he said.

NAN reported that Nigeria’s delegation at the conference was led by the Minister of Foreign Affairs Geoffrey Onyeama.

The conference witnessed the participation of no fewer than 170 representatives from 40 countries, UN, regional and civil society organisations.

Speaking at the summit, Onyeama said that the government would commit a significant share of the 2017 budget to confront the security and humanitarian situation arising from the Boko Haram terrorism.

According to a statement by the Office of the UN Secretary-General, the minister, however, appealed for the support of the international community to address the huge humanitarian crisis brought about by years of activities of the Boko Haram terrorists in the North-East.

Meanwhile, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Honourable Yakubu Dogara, has expressed delight over the summit.

Dogara, in a statement he issued on Saturday through his Special Adviser on Media and Public Affairs, Mr. Turaki Hassan, said the initiative was heartwarming and signified the collective will of leaders and donors across the world to tackle food crisis in the North East.

“This is a welcome development and I will use this medium to once again reiterate our call for the convocation of a bigger donor summit that will see to the rebuilding and rehabilitation of the region.

“On our part, as a legislature and government, we owe it a duty to the international community, to set up a legal framework to manage the resources donated or contributed for the development of the North East,” Dogara said.