By Ameh Ejekwonyilo
National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) has organised a rehabilitation and re-integration programme for the abducted students of Government Girls Secondary School, Chibok, in Borno state.
This piece of information was let out of the bag yesterday by the Director-General of NEMA, Alhaji Muhammad Sani-Sidi, at a one-day stakeholders’ meeting for the validation of draft humanitarian response plan for the abducted Chibok girls.
He said: “While the federal government is working assiduously towards the safe return of the abducted girls and reunites them with their family members, it is important that a sectoral response plan be prepared for their rehabilitation and reintegration back to normal life.”
He further said the objective of the meeting was to integrate all sector plans into one holistic multi-sector response plan to avoid duplication of efforts as well as to mobilise support towards the humanitarian challenges being faced by the affected population of Chibok local government.
Similarly, a representative of Chibok local government chairman who was present at the event, Mr. Musa Elija Kolo, decried the absence of government in the embattled town in terms of critical infrastructure, and appealed to government to rebuild the Chibok School that had been destroyed by the Boko Haram sect.
He, however, cleared the air on the number of the girls being held captive by the sect.
He said: “Out of the 221 girls who were initially abducted, 57 have escaped, while 164 are being held by the violent Boko Haram sect.”
The event was attended by the Head of UN System in Nigeria, Mr. Dauda Toure, Prof. Soji Adelaja, of the Presidential Initiative on the North-east, as well as other development partners and ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs).
