By Nuel Suji
The Deputy President of the Senate, Senator Ike Ekweremadu has reassured that Senate would take all necessary legislative steps to mobilise resources for the reconstruction of the North East of Nigeria and resettlement of Internally Displaced Persons, IDPs, in the region.
Senator Ekweremadu gave the assurances when he led a delegation of the Senate to visit IDPs’ camps in Adamawa State on Wednesday.
The Deputy President of the Senate stressed that the North East problems had wider negative impacts on every part of Nigeria, and therefore must be collectively addressed as a Nigerian problems.
He said the Senate delegation was in Adamawa to see the conditions of the people they represent, stressing that the delegation had “gone round and have noted with deep sadness the magnitude of destruction and human suffering engendered by insurgency in the North East part of our country”.
He added: “More important, we have come to bring you a message of hope- hope that insurgency will end in our country soon, hope that this is not your portion in life, and hope that you will soon return to your homes to live your normal lives again.
“We had highly useful and incisive discussions with the Service Chiefs on Tuesday. I can assure you that the Senate and indeed the Federal Government are determined to restore lasting peace and security to every part of the North East. Once we return to Abuja, we will mobilise resources as a body and send support to you. We will also ensure that adequate budgetary provisions and funds are made available to government to rebuild your homes, to fix your schools, to fix your bridges, to fix your hospitals, and rehabilitate your homes so that you can live your normal lives. We must do these because you these are your entitlements as citizens”.
Senator Ekweremadu who was obviously pained by the high number of internally displaced children and women, urged the young not to lose hope as they could still rise above their present challenges to achieve their dreams.
“Insurgency is a temporal setback, these camps cannot be the burial ground of your dreams. The Senate will support every necessary steps by government to ensure that succuor returns to you in earnest to enable you return home to pursue your dreams”, he added.
The 7-man delegation, made up of the Senate Deputy Majority, Senator Ibn Na’Alla; Senator George Sekibo, Senator Binta Garba, Senator Bashir Marafa, Senator Ahmed Abubakar, and Senator Sani Abubakar Danladi, visited Damari and Malkohi IDPs centres.
The Coordinator, National Emergency Management Agency, NEMA, for North East, Sa’ad Bello, explained that there were over 2,000 IDPs at the National Youth Service Corps Orientation camp in Damari, Jimeta while the Malkohi centre housed1,917 IDPs, mostly women and children. There were also 54 unaccompanied children at the Damari centre, according to him.
He however said that over 87% IDPs in Damari, Jimeta were eager to go home once the basic needs were met.
The Deputy Governor of Adamawa State, Hon. Martins Babale thanked the Senate for its commitment to ending insurgency and rebuilding the North East.
