Speaker, House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila, on Tuesday, reiterated the commitment of the National Assembly to supporting the current efforts at addressing the humanitarian crises caused by Boko Haram insurgency in the North-East.
Gbajabiamila made this known when he paid a courtesy visit on Gov. Babagana Zulum of Borno at the Government House, Maiduguri.
He noted that the decade-long insurgency had caused massive destruction and displacement, which had eventually led to humanitarian crises in the zone.
Gbajabiamila said the recent attacks on Borno communities by the insurgents had brought to the fore, the need for proactive measures to end the conflict and address the crises.
“We are here as a team to do an on-the-spot assessment of the security situation in Borno State.
“We cannot address the situation if we do not speak with the people who are directly involved, so we are here to visit and speak with the displaced persons in camps, with a view to restoring sustainable peace to the zone,” he said.
The speaker said that the House leadership would work with the lawmakers from the zone and come up with legislations that would address the root causes and provide lasting solutions to the problem.
He added that the lawmakers were considering ways to increase the size and strength of security agencies to address the security challenges facing the country.
He pledged the support of the lawmakers to the reconstruction, rehabilitation and resettlement (RRR) programme of Borno government.
“Lawmakers from the state will work closely with the Chairman, House Committee on Appropriation, to ensure increased allocation so that the roads, houses and schools destroyed by the insurgents can be reconstructed,” he promised.
The speaker commiserated with the government and people of the state over the killing of more than 60 people by the insurgents on Monday at Badu community in Nganzai Local Government Area of the state.
Responding, Zulum commended the Speaker for the visit, saying it would avail him the opportunity to assess the security and humanitarian situations in the state.
Zulum urged the Federal Government to re-examine and reinvigorate the armed forces, to make it more technology-driven for the enhancement of its operations.
“The nexus between security and development need not to be over-emphasised; no sustainable development can be achieved without peace,” Zulum said.
According to him, about 500 villages and 400 other communities have been sacked by the insurgents in northern and central parts of the state.
The governor added that over 5,000 classrooms, 800 municipal buildings, 1,600 water facilities and 786 energy generating facilities had been vandalised by the insurgents in the last 10 years.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the speaker, who was on a day visit to the state, paid a courtesy visit on the Shehu of Borno, Alhaji Abubakar Garabai El-Kanemi.
Gbajabiamila, who was accompanied by members of the House of Representatives from the state, also inaugurated the distribution of food items to displaced persons at Gubio IDPs camp in Maiduguri. (NAN)
