From Juliana Taiwo-Obalonye, Abuja
Acting President Yemi Osinbajo, said Nigeria and other countries in the Lake Chad Basin are collaborating well in dealing with terrorism in the region and the consequent humanitarian crisis.
He stated this yesterday while receiving a delegation from the African Union (AU) Peace and Security Council (PSC) which has been visiting countries in the region on a fact-finding mission on the crisis, as part of its mandate.
“The Lake Chad Basin collaboration is one we are extremely proud of, where we, as Africans, are working together on our own issues. I am pleased to say the countries have worked greatly together,” Osinbajo said.
He cited the progress of the Multi-National Joint Task Force set up to address terrorist insurgency, noting that unlike in the past when there were difficulties whenever soldiers of the four countries tried to work together, the MNJTF surmounted the challenges and has succeeded.
He said the Muhammadu Buhari administration is “extremely pleased with what we have seen, and we like to see more of such cooperation.”
The acting president said the humanitarian fall out of insurgency were compounded by deep poverty, making the costs of dealing with the situation “huge and enormous.”
Osinbajo said about 2.4 million persons were displaced in addition to extensive destruction of property, infrastructure, schools, homes and farmland. In some cases, he said the situation required the “rebuilding of whole societies.”
The acting president expressed satisfaction with the work of PSC of the AU. “I am extremely pleased and encouraged by the work of the PSC, the time and attention paid to this issue. These are matters we must address now and in the future.”
The PSC delegation was led by its chairperson for the month of July, Ambassador Bankole Adeoye, who is also Nigeria’s Ambassador to Ethiopia and to the AU.
Adeoye told the acting president that the PSC delegation has been visiting the four countries in the Lake Chad Basin in the past five weeks, and has specifically visited seven cities in Nigeria, Niger, Chad and Cameroon.
“This visit is the high point of our mission,” Adeoye said, adding that Nigeria’s commitment to peace in Africa has been well demonstrated.
The PSC of the African Union is the standing organ of the union for the prevention, management and resolution of conflicts. Membership of the 15-member council comprises three each, from Central, East, North, South and West Africa.