From Paul Orude, BauchiBAUCHI State Governor, Mohammed Abubakar, has warned that efforts to rebuild the areas devastated by activities of insurgents in the North-East will fail unless the underlying problems of poverty and ignorance were adequately addressed.
Abubakar gave the warning yesterday when he received a 12-member Assessment Team of the European Union (EU), United Nations (UN) and World Bank (WB) on insurgency devastated areas in the North-East to Bauchi.
Alhaji Wakil Adamu from the office of the vice president, led the team on a courtesy call to him at Government House, Bauchi in company with officials of National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), the State Emergency Management Agency and UNICEF, among others.
The governor said the mission of the team was a welcome and timely one in view of the devastation Boko Haram has unleashed on Nigerians particularly those residing in the North- East.
“Rebuilding infrastructure is important in rebuilding the areas but addressing the underlying factor of the insurgency is much more important because the North-East is seriously affected by poverty and ignorance.
“If poverty and ignorance are not properly addressed, they could provide grounds for the rise of another crazy group if Boko Haram is taken care of. We are running a risk if poverty is not addressed.”
He explained that Bauchi State has played host to an influx of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) since 2004 following ethno-religious crises in Kaduna, Plateau and some parts of Bauchi long before the Boko Haram crisis broke in1999.
Governor Abubakar explained that the state has been hospitable to millions of displaced persons that have escaped crisis in other parts of the region, saying several communities have sprang up as a result.
He said although most of them have resettled in Bauchi, they are psychologically displaced and urged the team to take their plight into consideration.
Earlier in his remark, Adamu disclosed that the mission was a combination of the Federal Government and development partners who have seen reason to assess and support the commitment and initiatives of both the federal and the affected states governments’ initiatives to rebuild areas devastated by Boko Haram.
On why they were in Bauchi, Adamu said: “The focus is to do an on the spot assessment, interact with the people, inspect destroyed places, find out what happened, what the government of the affected state is doing and how to compliment government’s efforts.
He said the team is divided into three- infrastructure and social investment, social cohesion and economy respectively.
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