Standup9ja: N/east rehabilitation - FG mulls budget review
Acting President Yemi Osinbajo says the Federal Government
has to take a second look at the budget in order to provide enough funding for
the rehabilitatation of the insurgency-ridden northeast.
Osinbajo spoke at the Aso Rock Presidential Villa in Abuja
last night while receiving a delegation of Borno State elders led by Governor
Kassim Shettima on a thank-you visit for the freedom of the 82 Chibok girls.
The acting president observed that the current allocation
for humanitarian services in the northeast was inadequate, saying the
government did not know how much it would cost to restore what was lost.
He stated: " It is a challenge before us. I believe
that we cannot wait for another generation of leaders to do it for us. We must
resolve to face our challenges.
"We have to take a second look at the budget. What we
are providing now is not even 10 percent of the cost. We will take out some
areas to address in the shortest possible time. It is important that people
don't die while we are planning.
"We will take some time out to outline what is the
priority and determine what it will cost us. We must do everything that it
takes to make sure that we hold ourselves to account for these children. That
in my view is the whole essence of leadership."
Osinbajo, who acknowledged the efforts of the Swiss
government and other global bodies in the negations that led to the return of
the Chibok girls, said: "We thank God for bringing back our girls from
captivity. For anyone who is a parent, it is just a very traumatic thing.
"We deserve to be excited that this is happening and we
pray that the others will come back. What has happened is largely on the
account of the international community. They believed in the integrity of the
president. So many have sacrificed so much in the course of this
insurgency."
Shettima said international actors had continued to
facilitate the negotiations for Chibok girls' freedom because of President
Buhari's integrity.
"We are here principally to thank Mr. President, you
and all senior aides to Mr. President, DSS DG, the Army for bringing back our
girls. President Buhari has the country at heart. We must as Nigerians thank
God for Mr. President. Buhari succeeded in moblizing the world for Nigeria. In
no distant time, the insurgency will be a thing of the past", he said.
Zamfara State Governor Abdulaziz Yari described the efforts
to free the 82 girls as commendable
Former Senate Leader Ali Ndume sought more funding for the
welfare of victims of insurgency.
He said: "The humanitarian crisis is beyond anybody's
imagination. Everday, one chid dies because of hunger. Children are out of
school. We have millions of displaced persons. The whole Borno State is not up
to the National Assembly budget. The feeding of the children is not something
Borno State government can carry".
The Minister of Women Affairs, Jummai Al-hassan, said that
the greed girls were in stable condition.
"Thanks for having confidence in our ministry to leave
the girls in our care. The girls are in good shape. We are getting the place
they will stay ready. They are all happy", the minister said.
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