By Sunday Okobi
Deputy Secretary General (DSG) of the United
Nations, Hajiya Amina Mohammed, last Wednesday passed the night in Borno State
after assessment visit to Bama in company of the state Governor, Kashim
Shettima.
With Bama recording the most destroyed by Boko
Haram terrorists, the DSG said she was in the town, once occupied by Boko
Haram, to assess gaps in humanitarian needs and reconstruction efforts recorded
by the state government so she could report back to the UN in order to identify
areas of intervention.
The state Commissioner for Reconstruction,
Rehabilitation and Resettlement of Boko Haram victims, Professor Babagana Umara
Zulum, who briefed Mohammed on reconstruction efforts by the state government, noted
that 11,000 private homes, 170 classrooms and other school buildings in 11 schools,
township electrification and rehabilitation of 10 boreholes have so far been
achieved in Bama.
The UN deputy secretary general had arrived in Maiduguri
last Wednesday before proceeding to Bama in company of Shettima, Minister of
State for Budget and National Planning, Zainab Shamsuna Ahmed, and Nigerian Representative
of Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Dr. Mairo Mandara, on board helicopter
provided by the UN Humanitarian Air Services.
They were received by the Chairman of Bama Local
Government Area, Alhaji Baba Shehu Gulumba, at the Bama Stadium where the
chopper landed.
The delegation first point of call was the
headquarters of the 21 Armored Brigade where they were received by the Brigade
Commander, Brigadier General G.B Audu, represented by the Brigade’s Chief of
Staff, Col. A.A Adekeye. He briefed the UN DSG of military's operations in
clearance of mines, providing security to internally displaced persons (IDPs)
camp, providing support for the unaccompanied children as well as providing
free medical healthcare.
The military declared Bama largely safe but noted that
there are challenges around farmlands located in bushes, where there is need
for more clearance of possible land mines. The commander solicited UN support
in the area of clearing mines around farmlands to fast track the return of IDPs.
The delegation moved to an IDPs’ camp located at
Government Science Secondary School (GSSS) and were received by officials of
Borno State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA), the National Emergency
Management Agency (NEMA), the International Organisation for Migration (IOM)
and some UN officials.
The focal person of the camp, Mr. Johnson Owocho of
IOM, informed Mohammed that the camp had 15,770 IDPs in 5,111 households.
The delegation also visited a school in session
where 4,503 displaced children were undergoing education with the school Headmaster,
Mallam Mustapha Mohammad, working with 46 teachers.
At the school, the state governor ordered the release
of 250 bags of rice and 50 bags of beans to enable pupils start benefiting from
daily meal per student to boost nutrition and encourage good learning results.
He also ordered the release of free uniforms to
all 4,503 pupils while he directed all teachers under the primary education in
Bama to return in order to increase number of teachers in IDP’s schools.
After leaving the school, the UN DSG inspected a community
clinic for management of acute mal-nutrition, and a psycho-social support
centre within an IDP camp.
Mohammed promised to report her findings to the UN
headquarters in New York, United States of America, with a view to having
interventions from the UN scaled up to complete efforts of the state
government, the federal government and any partner involved in providing
support.
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