From Iheanacho Nwosu, Abuja
The international community has raised $700 million (about N2.7 billion) for the rehabilitation of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) and other victims of terrorism in the North East.
A part of the money would also be used to address other needs arising from insurgency in the region.
Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr. Geoffrey Onyeama disclosed this at a media interaction in Abuja, yesterday.
Onyeama said the money, which was raised in Oslo, Norway, by a number of countries, including Germany, the United States of America during a donor conference, was meant to assist in addressing key challenges facing the North East.
According to him, $400 million will be released this year while the remaining $300 million will be handed next year. The minister also said donor countries and international bodies, including the Red Cross, who were at the donor meeting were satisfied with the efforts so far made by the government, especially the money invested in the welfare and needs of IDPs and tackling other challenges of the North East.
Onyeama, who was in company with Minister of Sports and Youth Development, Solomon Dalung and senior officials of the Foreign Affairs ministry, stated that Nigeria was elated by the gesture of the international community.
Explaining what motivated the donor countries to pool the funds for use in the North East, Onyeama disclosed that that the international community sought to know government’s financial commitment to the region . According to him, representatives of the donor countries were impressed with how much the Nigerian team said has been expended in addressing the security challenge in North East and in catering for the welfare of IDPs.
He noted that it was agreed that IDPs returning to their home should be voluntary even as the Minister said his team told participants at the meeting that 30 percent of the IDPs are at designated centers while majority of others are housed by well meaning Nigerians.
On the visit of the UN Security Council to Nigeria, Onyeama explained they were in the North East, Republic of Niger, among others and met with the military in Maiduguri. They were briefed by the Theatre Commander of Operation Lafiya Dole, Maj. Gen. Leo Irabor.
Apart from the military, Onyeama explained that Borno State Governor, Kashim Shettima briefed the UN team on the strategy to de-radicalise former insurgents.
On recent xenophobic attacks by South Africans on Nigerians, the minister revealed that a team from Nigeria will, in few days, visit the country, to engage with the leadership of the country and the Nigerian community.
He insisted no Nigerian was killed in the attacks.
Asked about reports of US barring some Nigerians with valid entry visa from visiting the country, Onyeama dismissed the claim as misleading and untrue.
He urged anybody with valid documents to go to US , expressing regrets that lies were being fed to Nigerians on foreign matters by individuals and groups who were not qualified to speak on foreign matters . Onyeama explained that there was no report from embassies across the world that any Nigerian with valid entry visa had been turned back saying “we are in touch with the US embassy on this”.