Northeast committee to focus on humanitarian response, empowerment

The Presidential Committee on North-East Initiative says it will focus on humanitarian response, empowerment and economic development in 2018.
Gen. Theophilus Danjuma (rtd), PCNI Chairman, made this known on Friday in Abuja during the monthly coordination meeting of the committee with stakeholders.
Danjuma, who was represented by Tijjani Tumsah, Vice Chairman, PCNI, said this would ensure early recovery and normalization in the North east through agriculture and economic development.
He said: “At the presentation of the 2018 proposed budget to the National assembly, President Muhammadu Buhari described it as a budget of consolidation.
“One of the objectives of today’s review meeting is to map a new direction that will enable us key into President Muhamaddu Buhari’s Plan for 2018.
“This is very important as we begin to interface with the National Assembly to defend proposed interventions for the North East.
“This is the only way we can consolidate and fast-track early recovery and normalization in the North East.
“The new direction we encourage next year is early recovery and stablilization through agriculture and economic development.
“The 2018 Humanitarian Response Plan being finalized will add immense value to this early recovery plan.”
He said the meeting would ensure effective coordination and communication between stakeholders delivering interventions in the region.
The PCNI chairman said that through the coordination forum, duplication of efforts among stakeholders have been addressed and has led to improved well-being for the people.
Also speaking, Mohammed Danjuma, PCNI Head of Programmes, Management and Coordination, said that the committee would work towards decreasing humanitarian assistance to empowerment.
He said that with the improvement in security, the efforts of the PCNI would be geared towards resettlement and empowering of Internally Displaced Persons and returnees in their communities.
The PCNI programme Coordinator said that the committee would provide livelihood support to the IDPs and returnees so that they can be empowered to get back on their feet.
Dr Sidi Mohammed, PCNI’s Head of Humanitarian Assistance, Resettlement and Rehabilitation said that the committee has addressed significant challenges in its intervention.
He said that before the setting up of the committee, one of the major challenges of the Federal Government was that of coordination.
Mohammed said that the monthly humanitarian meeting has created a platform for humanitarian actors to come together and identify existing gaps.
He said that in its strategic plans for 2018, the PCNI would identify areas least affected by the insurgency for both humanitarian assistance and early recovery.
The News Agency of Nigeria reports that the November coordination meeting will be the last for the year.