Osinbajo: Collaborations Key to Ensuring Stability, Containing Humanitarian Crisis in Lake Chad Region

Adedayo Akinwale

Vice President Yemi Osinbajo has that  international collaborations, cooperation and synergy among Nigeria, Cameroon, Chad and Niger  are key actions that would determine the speed and effectiveness of the delivery of economic stability,  peace,and containing humanitarian crisis in the Lake Chad region

He noted that synergy between countries and stakeholders across the region and the Sahel were critical to stability in the region.

Osinbajo stated this Monday in Abuja while declaring open the first Annual International Forum on the Development of the Lake Chad Basin Commission.

According to him, Collaboration, cooperation, and synergy between our countries, and stakeholders across the region and the Sahel are the key actions that will determine the speed and effectiveness of the delivery of economic stability and peace, and containing the humanitarian crisis.

The VP noted that military action and cross-border security interventions are yielding results in fight against terrorism.

Osibanjo added: “There is a need for international cooperation and collaboration especially as we have seen in the domain of military action and we have seen this work for cross border security interventions especially in terrorism situations in that neighbourhood.

“All of our successes in our fight against terrorism exemplify what we can achieve by working together. We therefore, must continue to build on this spirit of cooperation in other areas of intervention and forge even stronger ties for sharing information and lessons from our different experiences.”

Osinbajo noted that there have been several studies that deal with different aspects of the security challenge and a multi-faceted approach for long term security and stability of the region will be informed by discussion and analyses from this body of knowledge.

The VP said that while there had been a lot of progress, there remained much to be done in addressing the drivers of the insecurity and improving in the areas that needed improvement.

His words: “ As we rebuild the physical structures within these areas, we should be mindful of the need to foster peaceful coexistence and restore the social fabric of those societies.

“For without sustainable peace we are limited in how much we can attract the kind of investments necessary for the growth we need to fulfill the needs of our populations.

“As we listen, learn, and share over the course of the forum, we hope to build stronger ties with our neighbours that will endure and grow beyond the immediate task in front of us, yielding results over the short and long term with new strategies, renewed vigour and drive to improve the lives of our brothers and sisters across the four countries.”

Earlier, the Managing Director of the Commission, Mr. Mohammed Alkali said Nigeria and the World Bank have agreed to prepare a restructuring and additional financing of $176million for the Multi-Sectoral Crises Recovery Project (MCRP), being implemented in Borno, Adamawa and Yobe (BAY) States.

He said it was part of effort intended  to bring the country into the Lake Chad

Region Recovery and Development Project (PROLAC).

He lamented that the latest estimates show that the region hosts 2.5 million refugees and internally displaced persons.

Alkali expressed worry that Boko Haram insurgency alone has affected over 23 million people in the four countries surrounding the Lake (Cameroon, Chad, Niger and Nigeria).

He said that the overall objective of the forum was to bring together high-level national and international actors and decision-makers to raise awareness on the socio-economic challenges related to development and growth of the Lake Chad Region.