Video: Nigeria records 83% drop in deaths caused by insurgency

Vice President Yemi Osinbajo says that the latest edition of the Global Terrorism Index shows that Nigeria has recorded about 83 per cent drop in the number of deaths caused by Boko Haram insurgency from the peak in 2014.

He spoke on Thursday in Abuja while inaugurating African Development Bank’s (AfDB) Inclusive Basic Service Delivery and Livelihood Empowerment Integrated Project (IBSIP) on Thursday in Abuja.

Osinbajo threw more light on the `Buhari Plan’ a comprehensive blueprint for the recovery and reconstruction of the North-East.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that President Muhammadu Buhari had in 2016 unveiled the `Buhari Plan,’ a comprehensive blueprint for the recovery and reconstruction of the North-East region.

The Plan, established the Presidential Committee on the North-East Initiative (PCNI) to coordinate all efforts by state and non-state actors, domestic and international to comprehensively address the economic, social and humanitarian crises in the region.

According to Osinbajo, at the core of our efforts is the conviction that humanitarian interventions are not by themselves enough to bring about a radical transformation of the circumstances of the North-East Region.

“We believe in an approach that combines both humanitarian and developmental interventions.

“The ideal approach is the one that addresses today’s issues while simultaneously anticipating and devising solutions for tomorrows issues that wins not only the war but the peace as well.

“In practical terms, this has meant taking steps to reinvigorate social services such as the provision of health care and education, the restoration of civil authority in liberated areas, and the promotion of livelihoods and human security.

“This is where the Inclusive Basic Service Delivery and Livelihood Empowerment Integrated Project (IBSIP) come in.

“As more people return to their homes, the provision of essential services and job creation in safe locations will play a great role in ensuring that these returnees can get the basic tools and skills that they need to begin to rebuild their lives.

“The IBSIP is therefore, an intervention focused on investing in infrastructure restoration, the reactivation of social services and the rejuvenation of livelihoods and the culture of enterprise which are necessary for sustainable post-conflict communities,’’ he said.

According to Osinbajo, the Buhari Plan identifies key areas of critical impact which guide the design of intervention programmes in the North-East.

He expressed delight that the AfDB in its design and implementation of the IBSIP, keyed into the Buhari Plan, and was funding projects that would benefit an estimated 14 million affected people, including more than 2.3 million Internally Displaced Persons.

“The AfDB is investing roughly 258 million dollars in the effort to activate critical impact areas of recovery in the North East identified in the Buhari Plan.

“We would like to express the profound appreciation of the Federal Government to the Bank for being a partner in progress with us.

“When the story of the region’s recovery is told, the work of the AfDB will occupy a well-merited and prominent chapter.’’

Osinbajo reiterated some other projects by the government, which he said were having very positive impact on the citizens in the Northeast region.

“There is no limit to what we can achieve when we work together, empower our young people, and do not allow anything to distract us from envisioning what could be.

“And that I believe is what the IBSIP is all about, an investment in a future that is much greater than the present.

“Someday very soon, I am confident that we will all be able to look back to this moment as a turning point in the trajectory of Northeast Nigeria,” the Vice President added.

In his remarks, the Governor of Bauchi State, Mohammed Abubakar, expressed appreciation to Buhari’s led-administration for putting together the Buhari Plan which was part of what was being inaugurated today.

Abubakar, while commending the AfDB, said there was no doubt that the programme would go a long way at resolving most challenges in the region.

He further pledged his commitment to ensure the successful implementation of the programme.

Representatives of governors of Adamawa, Taraba and Borno also commended the AfDB for their support and pledged their commitment to support the project.