FG to develop common plan to rebuild North East – Osinbajo

The Vice President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, said on Monday in Abuja, that the Federal Government would develop a common plan for the rebuilding of the North East zone devastated by insurgency.

Osinbajo gave the indication when he received a delegation of Borno/Yobe Forum, an NGO, which paid him a courtesy visit at the Presidential Villa.

He said that all groups interested in rebuilding the North East zone were expected to key in for proper coordination.

The Vice President said that the Muhammadu Buhari administration welcomed all contributions, suggestions and support toward the rehabilitation of the devastated region.

He, however, insisted that such efforts must be coordinated to avoid duplication and waste of resources.

'It is important that we are all working from the same manual; we shall have one common plan that is working; if we are coordinated we can achieve a great deal,'' the Vice President said.

He promised that the Federal Government would continue to engage the Forum and any other interested party that had indicated willingness in rebuilding the zone.

Leader of the Forum, Sen. Ali Ndume said their mission was to thank the Federal Government for liberating the North East from terrorists and also attending to the needs of the displaced persons.

Ndume, who is also the Senate Leader, urged the Federal Government and international agencies to give priority attention to Yobe and Borno in the rebuilding initiatives.

'Borno and Yobe states are the epicentre of the insurgency attacks and our people bore most of the brunt of these attacks.

'While we are part and parcel of the North East zone and we fully participate in any plans for the rebuilding of the entire North East, we must underline the urgency for the rebuilding efforts to be prioritised in the frontline states of Borno and Yobe,'' he said.

He requested that the civilian JTF that had supported the military in the anti-terror war be considered for absorption into Federal Government's security organisations for more productive future.

Ndume further requested for special attention to many orphaned and widowed by the insurgency who had continued to roam the streets begging for arms to survive.

'In addition to the reconstruction of infrastructure, rehabilitation efforts must be people centric, taking into consideration the unimaginable trauma most of them have suffered and are suffering.

'The government should through its relevant ministries and programmes prioritise trauma counseling for all victims as soon as possible,'' he added.