By Nuel Suji – The Senate on Tuesday set up an ad-hoc committee to investigate how much the Federal Government has expended on the program of the Presidential initiative on the North East.
The 10-man committee headed by Senator Shehu Sani was also mandated to find out how the funds were utilized from the time of release to date.
It would be recalled that the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Babachir Lawal, was recently accused of complicity in the mismanagement of the Buhari’s initiative on the north east.
The upper chamber also expressed disappointment at the government poor handling of the humanitarian crisis in the area, especially in internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) camps.
The lawmakers warned that unless immediate action was taken to salvage the worsening situation in the North East thousands of people in IDPs camps would die.
The resolution followed the consideration and adoption of a motion titled: “Mounting humanitarian crisis in the North East,” sponsored by Senator Baba Kaka Garbai (Borno Central) and 17 others.
The lawmakers said it was obvious that the federal government is failing in its duty to provide needed relief materials to IDPs to cushion the effects of lack of foods and other basic amenities in camps located in Borno, Adamawa and Yobe States.
Senator Garbai in his lead debate said over 4.5 million people were in dire need of assistance while another one million people were in danger of extreme malnutrition.
He noted that the Presidential initiative on the North East which was inaugurated by President Muhammadu Buhari a year ago to manage the crisis, is yet to show tangible result on ground with over half of the money appropriated to it released.
