UNDP, NHRC Release Report on Humanitarian Challenges in North-east

By Alex Enumah in Abuja

The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) have released a report on their findings on humanitarian conditions in the six states of the North-east, accusing the federal and state governments in the region ravaged by Boko Haram insurgency of lacking the political will to address the humanitarian challenges in the region.

Similarly, rights activists in their contributions to the draft report presented at a media forum in Abuja, warned that the nation may be heading for another disaster if urgent and concrete steps are not taken to address issues of development and good governance, particularly in the North-east.

In the report tagged, “North East Nigeria: Human Rights Assessment Report (2015 – 2017)”, the two bodies did not only accuse the federal and state governments of making paltry provisions to address urgent needs of the victims of Boko Haram insurgency, but failing to release budgetary allocations to the region.

The indictment notwithstanding, the acting Executive Secretary of NHRC, Oti Ovrawah, told the gathering that the report was not aimed at apportioning blame to government but was rather meant to draw attention to the dire humanitarian crises of re-building the region.

The report noted that in 2014, the government provided N2 billion and increased it to N6.6 billion and N14.3 billion in 2015 and 2016 respectively which it regarded as paltry in addressing humanitarian needs such as basic security, food, health, housing and education amongst others in the six states devastated by Boko Haram insurgency.

Details later…