A former Vice President of the World Bank, Dr. Oby Ezekwesili, has risen in defence of President Muhammadu Buhari over his demand that the World Bank should focus its assistance to Nigeria on the North East.
Ezekwesili, a former Minister of Education, said this on her Twitter handle following the controversy generated by the demand of the President to the World Bank.
The President of the World Bank Group, Jim Young Kim, had on Thursday revealed that Buhari, at the first meeting they had, requested for the assistance from the world body to Nigeria to be primarily focused on the North East.
This has generated reactions from Nigerians, with some tagging Buhari an ethnic champion.
But Ezekwesili said rather than castigate the President, he should be applauded and supported.
She said such requests was normal, especially in a situation that has befallen the North East with the Boko Haram insurgency.
She tweeted: “I want EVERYONE to KNOW that the statement made by the @WorldBank President @JimYongKim IS NOT AS IT SOUNDS. I should KNOW. I was VP there.
“No. No. No, dear people. The FACT of that statement by the @WorldBank President @JimYongKim is NOT AS IT SOUNDS. I will explain.
“As a practice, POST- conflict zones -e.g. Northern Uganda, Northern CAR, Eastern DRC receive Special Focus from .@WorldBank .It MAKES SENSE!
“As the destabilization in the North East worsened Human Development Indicators in North East Nigeria, our country SADLY JOINED that List.
“The Evidence-Based justification for PRIORITIZING Post-Conflict Reconstruction is that it helps BUILD RESILIENCE & Prevents a RELAPSE.
“In ALL the cases of countries like CAR, DRC, Liberia, Sierra Leone, Uganda, Guinea (both Bissau & Conakry) this was the APPROACH.
“Prioritizing Reconstruction of Post-Conflict zone in ANY of those countries FACTUALLY PROVED to be KEY for REST OF COUNTRY GROWTH&STABILITY!
“The prioritizing given to North East in discussion between @JimYongKim & @MBuhari is thus NOT UNUSUAL AT ALL. Let’s NOT POLITICIZE IT please.”
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