Robbing Peter to pay Paul: Buhari unfolds Marshal Plan for the North East at N92.2 billion

Robbing Peter to pay Paul: Buhari unfolds Marshal Plan for the North East at N92.2 billion

This is a typical case of the robbing of Peter to pay Paul. The Nigerian Government has earmarked a whooping 97 billion expectedly from crude oil sell for the development of the North Eastern part of Nigeria. Crude oil is exploited in Biafra with attendant environmental issues. The indigenes are wallowing in poverty. 

Sahel Standard reports that the Nigerian Government has unfolded the North East Marshall Plan (NEMAP) on the short, intermediate and long terms interventions in economic reconstruction, development and emergency assistance at projected total budgetary expenditures of 97.2 billion for the sub-region of the country.

The critical intermediate plan for the over two million Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) in the long-term implementation of NEMAP, will also gulp N116.4 billion in addressing the needs of non- returning IDPs in the affected states of Borno, Yobe and Adamawa states. 

Presenting the Marshall plan Tuesday in Maiduguri at the Government House Multi-Purpose Hall, Maiduguri, the Presidential Committee on North East Interventions (PCNI) led by Mohammed Danjuma disclosed that the Federal Government is strongly determined to comprehensively address the crisis the region. 

His words: “The North East Emergency Assistance and Economic Stabilization programmes are designed to deliver restorative and palliative services to displaced people, vulnerable persons and the most affected households in the need of assistance. This marshal plan or programme has five main components and will last up to 24 months. He listed the programmes to be fully implemented by accelerating relief programme, and the fast tracking of all federal projects in the affected North East sub-region of the country. 

Crude oil is exploited in Biafra with attendant environmental issues. The indigenes are wallowing in poverty. 

“Other slated various programmes under NEMAP, included comprehensive relief assistances, social assistances, education revitalization and productive works programme. Citing productive works in the affected communities of the region, he said: “The total budget for the comprehensive short term plan of the marshal plan will cost the federal government the sum of N33.12 billion; while comprehensive relief to also cost N52.8 billion. “Targeted cash transfers, mobile hospitals and medical support to the displaced persons in the various affected communities will also gulp the sum of N6.4 billion.” 

He said the mobile containerized schools and the adoption of the school initiative have costed the federal government N164 million. The redevelopment plan for each sector of NEMAP, according to him, was defined by the committee to target specific challenges in the agriculture, health, education, safety and security, infrastructure and job creation sectors of the region’s economy in the next two years. 

The United Nations country representative, Mrs Ratizou Ndlovu said that NEMAP requires: “mountainous sectorial responses that should be fully implemented by various levels of governments, donor agencies and other stakeholders, before the lives of IDPs could be restored in their respective communities. “Nigeria has the capacity and resources to restore the devastated lives of the over two million IDPs. 

This country is determined to effect a change in the rebuilding and restoration of this affected North East. I have seen a change within four months, because of the overwhelming responses of National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), States’ emergency management agency, humanitarian agencies and other stakeholders.” In his brief remarks at the presentation of NEMAP, Vice President, Yemi Osinbajo said that the federal government is ready to engage in the full implementation of the plans and programmes for sub-region. His words: “The tasks before us are enormous in the restoration of the lives of displaced persons in the three main affected states of Borno, Adamawa and Yobe. 

I commended the efforts of all humanitarian agencies and affected states. The state governments, Non-Governmental Organisations and Civil Society Organisation had been working round the clock to keep these displaced persons comfortably with food and accommodations in various camps.” Governor Kashim Shettima also said that the rebuilding, rehabilitation, resettlements of the destroyed communities in the state, has commenced in earnest, as four communities in Kaga Local Government in the state; have reached 65 per cent completion for the first batch of IDPs to return in January next year.