A delegation of the United Nations Security Council to the Lake Chad Basin to assess the humanitarian effects of the Boko Haram insurgency has given Nigeria 18 months to tackle the crisis.
The delegation led by Mathew Rycroft, the United Kingdom Representative to UNSC and 14 other Permanent Representatives to UNSC from China, Japan, United States of America, South Korea, Senegal, Ethiopia, Germany, Norway, France and the UN Resident Coordinator and Humanitarian Coordinator in Nigeria; Edward Kallon had visited Cameroon, Niger and Chad before visiting Maiduguri to ascertain the level of the crisis in the lake Chad region.
Rycroft said at a press conference in Abuja yesterday that: “The crisis in the Lake Chad Basin is one of the largest and the most neglected crisis and we want to shine the spotlight so that the whole world, including the government of the region could step up response before it is too late.
“We have only 18 month to attend to this crisis, because after that the Nigerian government would be busy with elections. It is important that the problem is addressed before the next elections.”
He maintained that the crisis in the Lake Chad Basin was one of the largest and most neglected in the world, stressing that they visited the area in order to shine the spotlight on the crisis so the world and the governments in the region could step up and respond before it’s too late.
“We encourage the government of Nigeria to step up and disburse the $1b dollars it pledged at the Oslo conference at the state level and the national level,” the leader of the delegation said.
He said the United Kingdom had significantly increased her response to the humanitarian challenges in the Lake Chad Basin and will continue to do so until the crisis is finally resolved.
While noting that immediate humanitarian solution would not solve the situation, he stressed that “What is needed is a long term development, jobs, environmental issues addressed, education and human rights in place for everyone.”
The Senegalese representative to the UNSC, Seck Fode said African problems required African solutions, stressing that the crisis in the Lake Chad Basin was bigger than imagined.
Fode, who enjoined Nigeria to disburse the $1b she pledged to spend on the humanitarian crisis in the region as soon as possible, equally called on the international community to fulfill its pledges as well.
Also speaking, Edward Kallon said an 18-month timeline has been set to end the humanitarian crisis in Nigeria, stressing that any delay could escalate the crisis.
The delegation, also visited the state governor Kashim Shettima, where it described the crisis as one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises in recent times.
