The Federal
Government will welcome a global partnership that would ensure a concerted and
focused international response to the humanitarian crisis arising from the
insurgency in the North-Eastern region of the country.
Vice President Yemi
Osinbajo, SAN, gave this indication earlier today while receiving members of
the ONE campaign led by the international Rock Star artist Bono, and Africa's
richest man, Alhaji Aliko Dangote, who were at the Presidential Villa to
discuss the possibilities of a global partnership to address the crisis through
international advocacy.
Addressing members of
the delegation that included former UK Development Secretary Douglas Alexander,
Prof. Osinbajo noted that "it is very important that you chose to come and
offer some partnership. This is great and we are pleased…Partnership is
certainly the way to go."
He said no matter how
prepared a country could be, handling the kind of crisis in the North-East with
two million displaced people including children, as a single country
"would be irresponsible."
According to him
however, a global partnership to address the situation should be coordinated
and more focussed on what is required to be done, for instance, in addressing
the issue of malnourished children and not attempting to do too much things at
once.
Speaking earlier the
Irish born artist Bono said he has visited some of the IDPs and said "we
want to be useful to you," adding that what he saw in the region was
"deeply disturbing."
Bono also commended
the social investment programmes of the Buhari administration saying "we
have heard of the incredible plans, the social investment funds," adding
also that the level of transparency already seen in the administration is
both "very exciting and transforming."
The ONE campaign is
an advocacy organization with more than seven million people around the world
taking action to end extreme poverty and preventable diseases especially in
Africa. It has on its board people like Mo Ibrahim, Bill Gates, Micheal
Bloomberg among others. It was founded in 2004.
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