One of the gains of President Muhammadu Buhari’s recent visit to the US is the announcement of the World Bank plan to provide a $2.1 billion (N413 billion) rehabilitation package for the North-Eastern states of Borno, Yobe and Adamawa that have been ravaged by the Boko Haram insurgency. Within the past six years that the terrorist group has been waging a bloody campaign against Nigeria, over 20,000 people have been killed and about one million displaced, most of them in the North-East geo-political zone of the country.
The insurgency has seriously thwarted the developmental aspirations of this region and it is encouraging that the World Bank has come up with this facility to ease its rehabilitation. This financial intervention will go a long way in ameliorating the plight of the inhabitants.
We commend the World Bank for granting Nigeria this facility and urge that it be judiciously used. If properly applied, it will help redress the devastation of the region and encourage other institutions to offer similar aids. The task of rebuilding the North-East is huge and cannot be borne by Nigeria alone. We encourage other countries and well- meaning institutions to lend a hand to Nigeria to restore normalcy to the troubled region.
The effort to totally rid the zone of insurgency must also be tackled more urgently and decisively than ever before, as it will be impossible to rebuild the area in the present atmosphere of war. Let all hands be on deck to end this insurgency so that the task of rebuilding the North-East can begin in earnest.
The intervention from the World Bank is a soft loan, which is interest-free for the first 10 years, and will thereafter attract interest that is below the capital market rate for the next 30 years. We can expect the bank to adhere to best institutional safeguards to ensure that this money is not misapplied. It is, however, necessary to enjoin Nigerian officials who will be involved in its management to display high level of circumspection that is required to ensure that the loan is used to achieve the objective for which it is to be granted.
It is heartening that the Federal Government has assured the World Bank that Nigeria and the affected states will ensure due diligence to facilitate the quick disbursement of the funds. This should quicken the rebuilding of the region. The task ahead is gargantuan and it will require a lot of money, personnel and management know-how to make the desired impact.
In the re-building process, the restoration of basic of infrastructure must be prioritised. Rebuilding of destroyed houses, schools and healthcare facilities deserve urgent attention. So also, arrangements should be made for food, clean water, drugs and safe waste disposal facilities.
The North-Eastern zone has been a fertile recruitment ground for insurgents because of its poor human development records. It is the region with the lowest school enrolment figures, and a high unemployment rate. The zone is the most-prone to desertification. It is the least developed, yet the most expansive in terms of size.
This loan is a wake-up call that this region badly needs help. Millions of its inhabitants need to be rehabilitated. Many have lost their loved ones in cruel circumstances and have suffered physical and psychological trauma. They have been stripped of their sense of self-worth and they have to start their lives afresh.
The time has come for the government to step in boldly and address their problems. Let the Buhari government chart a new course for the region, with all the affected states, local governments and other governmental and Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) playing their parts. The Federal Government cannot do it alone, so we urge all relevant local and international agencies to stand up and be counted in this onerous effort to restore normalcy and rebuild the North-East.
We heartily welcome the World Bank initiative and call for more of such facilities to help restore peace, progress and prosperity to the zone.
FRENCH VERSION
