President Muhammadu Buhari says Africa is facing dangerous humanitarian crises with more than five million persons displaced in the Lake Chad region, 70 percent of whom are Nigerians.
Buhari, speaking at the 16th African Union Extra-ordinary session of the Assembly of Heads of State and Government, in Malabo, Equatorial Guinea, called for a concerted and institutionalised effort toward ameliorating the suffering of refugees and internally displaced persons (IDP) in Africa. According to the Nigerian leader, only a “collective and coordinated” approach would make a difference.
“We cannot deny the fact that we have a very dangerous humanitarian crisis in our hands,” Buhari said, adding that “the violent onslaught by Boko Haram insurgents on the North-East of Nigeria has triggered multiple crises.
This, he said, has necessitated the creation of the ministry of humanitarian affairs, disaster management and social development, designed to provide a national response strategy.
“This is in line with the Kampala Convention for the Protection and Assistance of Internally Displaced Persons. I am glad to inform you that the ministry has continued to live up to its mandate in responding quickly to all situations of displaced persons and disaster management in Nigeria.
The president said the ministry has also broadened its scope of operations by caring for deprived school children in the country.
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“The ministry carries out a compulsory school feeding programme in primary schools across the country. This is to ensure that every child gets at least one balanced and nutritious meal daily.
“We have also introduced a Conditional Cash Transfer scheme, whereby a monthly cash transfer is made to the very poor and vulnerable in our society,” Buhari told the conference, just as he welcomed the establishment of an African Union Humanitarian Agency to cater for the growing needs of displaced persons and refugees.
“The rationale for the establishment of this agency is to forge a common African position on humanitarian effectiveness and to create an appropriate continental architecture to effectively respond and coordinate humanitarian crises on the continent,” he added.
While pledging $3m for the take-off of the African Union Humanitarian Agency, the president appreciated the specialised technical committee for their hard work to produce the statutes.
The African Union chairman and president of Senegal, Macky Sall, $3m on behalf of his country, urging other African leaders to contribute to the establishment of the humanitarian agency.
The AU chairman said the rising challenges of climate change, natural disasters and terrorism had made it mandatory to set up an agency that would meet the needs of displaced Africans.
The president of the host country, Nguema Mbasogo, pledged $4m, with $2m for the new agency, while $2m will go to Mozambique.
