NEMA enhances integration of kidnapped Chibok girls

The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) has convened a meeting of humanitarian stakeholders to develop a suitable response plan for the social re-integration of the girls kidnapped in Chibok and appropriate support to the community. More than 200 schoolgirls were abducted in Chibok last month. Addressing a stakeholders meeting in Abuja, Director General of the Agency, Alhaji Sani Sidi, said it was expected to validate a draft humanitarian response plan for Chibok. He said it had become imperative to build synergy as well as strengthen coordination mechanism for humanitarian assistance to the affected persons and community. “While the Federal Government is working assiduously towards the safe release of the abducted girls and reunites them with their family’s members, it is important that a sectoral response plan be prepared for their rehabilitation and re-integration back to normal life”. Sidi added that the objective of this meeting was to integrate all plans into one holistic multi-sector response plan to avoid duplication of efforts, strengthen inter-agency collaboration and mobilize supports towards the humanitarian challenges being faced by the affected population of Chibok Local Government. He noted that the agency had already commenced humanitarian intervention in Chibok, but there were some gaps in the requirement of the affected persons. “Hence the call for collective action in the priority sectors of protection, health, education, emergency food and non-food items, water and sanitation as well as provision of durable solutions,” Sidi stated. The Resident Coordinator of the United Nations in Nigeria, Dauda Toure, urged the stakeholders to support the initiative of agency by making useful contribution towards its success. The Chairman of Chibok Local Government, who was represented at the meeting by Musa Elijah Kolo, appreciated the Federal Government for coming to the aid of the people but requested for speedy rescue of the abducted girls, rehabilitation and upgrading of public infrastructure in the area.