FG gets N1.21bn EU, Japan grants to fight insurgency

The Federal Government has received two grants totalling N1.2bn from the European Union and the Government of Japan to tackle insurgency in the North-East as well as to improve the level of disaster management in the country.

The agreement for the release of the grant was signed in Abuja between the Federal Government and representatives from the EU and the government of Japan.

Minister of National Planning, Dr. Abubakar Sulaiman, signed on behalf of the Federal Government while the Head of the European Union Delegation to Nigeria, Mr. Michel Arrion, and the Charge the Affairs of Japan, Mr. Masaya Otsuka, signed on behalf of the EU and Japan respectively.

The pact for the release of the grants was also witnessed by the Minister of Women Affairs, Hajiya Zainab Maina; the Executive Secretary, National Planning Commission, Mr Bassey Akpanyung; and the Director-General, National Emergency Management Agency, Mr. Sani Sidi.

While the EU grant, which was put at €1.5m (about N325m) was for the support of children and adolescents affected by the insurgency in Borno State; that of Japan, valued at $4.5m (about N886.5m), is for the provision of disaster management equipment to be used in Nigeria.

Speaking at the event, Sulaiman described the $4.5m grant from Japan as a game changer in the disaster management objective of the Federal Government.

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He said, “Nigeria has experienced various degrees of disaster over the years, including flooding, fire disasters, disease epidemics, oil spillage, climate change and terrorism.

“In most cases, whether natural or man-made, our response level may not have matched the magnitude of the negative occurrences. Draught, desertification, flooding, fire outbreak, disease epidemics and terrorism are the most common source of disaster.

“Flooding, which is the most recurring disaster in Nigeria, is usually caused by either climatic or non-climatic factors thus leading to River floods, flash floods, urban floods, sewage floods, glacial lake outburst floods and coastal floods.

“The yearly recurrence of flooding in Nigeria with disastrous consequences serves to illustrate the country’s inadequate preparedness and low capacity for effective disaster management.

“The resources for effective management of the occurrences are not readily available; hence the support from development partners serves as invaluable assistance.”

While commending the government of Japan and the EU for the grants, the minister assured them that the fund would be judiciously used as stipulated in the terms of the agreement.

On the EU grant, he said the fund was expected to contribute in mitigating the negative psychological implications of the humanitarian crisis that currently plague Borno State, the operational base of the terrorist Islamic sect, Boko Haram.

This crisis, he said, had largely disrupted education and health services, including immunisation activities, in the state.