FG to launch assessment programme for recovery, peace building of North-East

The Federal Government is set to launch Recovery and Peace Building Assessment (RPBA) of states in the North-East region, as part of efforts geared towards rebuilding and rehabilitating the region.

The assessment would be done in conjunction with the World Bank, the European Union and the United Nations.

This high-level collaboration between the Government of Nigeria and donor partners, the World Bank, European Union and the United Nations culminating in the setting up of the RPBA is a fallout of President Muhammadu Buhari’s visit to the United States in July, 2015, Laolu Akande, senior special assistant to the Vice President, said on Monday.

Recall that Buhari had met with the World Bank president, Jim Yong Kim and representatives of other donor agencies where he secured the commitment of the bank in supporting Federal Government’s efforts in the North-East.

Explaining the planned assessment in a statement, Akande said the assessment was expected to strengthen local capacity, enable direct participation and come up with results that would be useful in developing a plan to meet the needs of the states. The plan, he said, will also appropriately and adequately cater for the IDPs, the rebuilding and reconstruction programmes of their respective states.

The initiative, which would be led by the Federal Government, will be conducted within the framework of the Joint EU-UN-WB Declaration on international crisis recovery cooperation with the North-East states of Borno, Adamawa, Yobe, Gombe, Taraba, and Bauchi.

The RPBA will essentially build upon initiatives of the past administration and body of work on the North East produced at the federal and state levels, including the Presidential Initiative for the North East (PINE) and the North East States Transformation Strategy (NESTS).

“These assessment efforts will provide a credible framework for coordinated and coherent support from humanitarian and development partners to complement series of Federal Government efforts towards restoring normalcy to these affected states.

“It will also form the basis for planning a broad-based public sector recovery programme for the NE, as well as leverage, synchronise and inform the financing initiatives and projects of Nigeria’s development partners, civil society organisations, private sector groups and organisations,” Akande said.