Ali Abare, Gombe
President Muhammadu Buhari is committed to rebuilding the North East that has been ravaged by the Boko Haram insurgency.
This was disclosed by The Presidential Committee on North East Initiative (PCNI).
Vice Chairman of the PCNI, Alhaji Tijjani Musa Tumsa, disclosed this while on a courtesy visit to Governor Ibrahim Hassan Dankwambo of Gombe State as part of activities marking the committee’s one-week retreat in the state.
Tumsa described the Buhari Plan for the region as a “strategic implementation framework of intervention comprising various reports including, the North-East States transition report, United Nations and World Bank Development reports,” all put together aimed at rebuilding the region.
Commenting on the activities of the committee, Tumsa disclosed further that the PCNI is presently transiting from humanitarian intervention to real aspect of development following successes recorded by the military in recovering more space from the Boko Haram.
He further stated that while in the state, the committee, in conjunction with the Gombe State government, would Monday next week roll out a free medical outreach for Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs).
“This is a medical outreach that provides free medical healthcare, starting from eye care, to simple operations, but it will be done for people who do not have ways of getting the monies to do that.
“I appreciate the participation of the state government, particularly the Ministry of Health and your Excellency’s overriding approval for such an outreach programme,” Tunsa said.
While commending Governor Dankwambo as well as the people of the state for hosting the displaced populations that fled from different states to take refuge in Gombe, Tumsa said the gesture has afforded and accorded the IDPs a home away from home.
Responding, Governor Dankwambo, while thanking the PCNI for hosting the retreat in Gombe, sought the cooperation of the Federal Government in the collective effort to sanitize the security situation in the region.
Governor Dankwambo particularly commended the PCNI members for choosing one of the states in the North East to host this important occasion.
“There are so many programmes that are hosted on behalf of the North East but they are being hosted outside the North East, which in our character is not the best way towards rebuilding the North East.”
The governor congratulated the National Assembly for passing the North East Development Commission Bill, adding that he hopes the NEDC would commence operation soon to further help in rebuilding the North East.
Dankwambo restated his call for the abolishing of IDP camps in the region, describing such facilities as “inhuman,” urging other states to emulate Gombe State for assimilating the IDPs and integrating them into the society.
“We have rented house for our brothers and sisters who are on the run and we have integrated them as part of Gombe people. There is no school for displaced persons. There is no hospital for displaced persons. All we have is for Gombe people and whoever decides to stay in Gombe, irrespective of where you come from, even if it is not from the North East, you are a Gombe man and you are entitled to all benefits of ordinary Gombe person,” he said.