MINISTER OF STATE FOR POWER – HON MOHAMMED WAKIL
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SAN FRANCISCO, August 01, (THEWILL) – A comprehensive plan by the Federal Government for the reconstruction of the Northeast ravaged by the five-year-old Boko Haram insurgency is underway.
The Chairman of the Presidential Committee on North East, Prof Soji Adelaja, disclosed this in Abuja Friday at a consultative meeting with the Minister of Power, Prof. Chinedu Nebo and Minister of State for Power, Hon. Mohammed Wakil.
A statement issued by Alhaji Olawale Rasheed, the Senior Adviser to Minister of State for Power, said the committee chairman in a presentation unveiled series of coordinated sustainable intervention projects and policies designed to reconstruct the region in close collaboration with state governments in the zone as well as federal ministries with relevant projects capable of healing the wounds of the war.
“Adelaja specifically listed what he called emergency assistance stabilisation projects covering education, health, infrastructure, agriculture among others.
“The committee he said had concluded studies of post conflict societies where reconstruction has been successfully done .The lessons so learnt is applied to the task at hand,” the statement said.
It noted further that the committee was in the process of identifying safe communities to launch the reconstruction,saying the concept include identification of agriculture and transformation for ready communities in view of the ongoing security challenges.
The statement said at the meeting, Nebo invited the Minister of State for Power, Hon Mohammed Wakil, to react to the initiative as a victim of the insurgency.
In his reaction, Wakil lamented the devastation inflicted on the region by Boko Haram insurgents but commended President Goodluck Jonathan for launching several initiatives to rebuild the zone.
Wakil listed the four initiatives introduced by the President to rehabilitate the North East to include the setting up of two separate presidential committees, the full funding of emergency agency and the provision of sufficient supply to the displaced from the National Grains Reserve.
Wakil said ‘’Mr. President has put the reconstruction and rehabilitation structures in place,” urging the presidential committee to act quickly and urgently by going to the field, adding “Our people want to see you in action. They are in dire need of help. It is time for action.’’
Reacting, the Minister of Power, Nebo, said the account of the Minister of State about the callousnesness of the insurgents confirmed the widely held belief that the insurgency is not about religion but about hatred of Nigeria and humanity.
‘’Boko Haram are haters of our dear country. It has nothing to do with religion. We in the Ministry of Power commended Mr. President for his intervention and we pledged the support of our ministry in the area of quick win projects to facilitate the reconstruction efforts.
‘’We will identify relevant projects and key into this presidential initiatives. We have big projects in the North East. Mr. President just approved the Mambilla Hydro Dam which will employ thousands of young people from the North East and boost economic life of the people,’’ Prof. Nebo said.
