The chairman, Presidential Committee on North East Initiatives (PCNI) retired Lt. General Theophilus Yakubu Danjuma yesterday gave an estimate for rebuilding Boko Haram devastated north east at above N2 trillion.
Danjuma made this known while delivering a speech at a National Security Seminar with the theme “Internally Displaced Persons and Post Conflict Peace Building in Nigeria” organized by the Alumni Association of the National Defence College (AANDEC), in Abuja.
He said while foreign donors have their roles to play Nigerians must obey the rules and conditions that come with such donations so as not to disgrace the country and betray victims who have been displaced from the region.
Danjuma said the rebuilding of the north east would demand maximum cooperation and resources especially in the most affected states of Adamawa, Borno and Yobe, which he says will involve the massive reconstruction of physical infrastructure.
He added that more challenging would be the rebuilding of peace and social cohesion as well as the economic base.
Besides, he said the return and reintegration of the displaced people, the restoration of lives of the affected and peace building efforts that will foster reconciliation are very crucial at this stage.
Danjuma explained that: “Critical to this must be the promotion of dialogue, understanding and countering the appeals of terrorism, ensuring the security of individuals and communities, while respecting their human rights.”
He lamented that despite the commendable efforts of the present administration in an intensified fight against terrorism and achieving a technical defeat of insurgents the war is still raging.
The Minister of Defence, Mansur Dan-Ali who was represented by the Permanent Secretary in the ministry Danjuma Sheni said the Presidency was making serious efforts to resettle victims of Boko Haram insurgency back to their homes.
He stated that while terrorism has taken a frightening dimension all over the world, terrorism in Nigeria is worsened by corruption.
President of AANDEC, retired Brigadier General Jonathan Temlong stated the importance of putting in place a legal framework to deal with Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) issues arising from various forms of conflicts and disasters.
