The Shehu of Borno, Alhaji Abubakar Ibn-Garbai, has appealed to the Federal Government to provide more funding for the North East Development Commission (NEDC)`s activities.
The monarch made the appeal when a delegation of the Senate Committee on Special Duties, led by Sen. Yusuf, representing Taraba Central visited him on Thursday in Maiduguri.
“I want to call for more funding for the commission to enable it facilitate the reconstruction of destroyed communities and intervention programmes toward empowering all IDPs,“ he said.
He said that the call became necessary in view of the huge destruction and losses incurred in the state as a result of the crises in the last 11 years.
The monarch explained that the crises had displaced thousands of people who were taking refuge in displaced persons’ camps across the state.
He said that Boko Haram crises started in the state in July 2009 following a disagreement between the Izala and Yusifiya Sects.
Abubakar added that it later developed into attacks of police stations and carting away of ammunitions in police formations.
“Gradually, they move their operations from Maiduguri to Local Government headquarters and other towns within Borno.
“In the course of their operations, the emirate council lost about 13 district heads who were killed in their respective domains.
“The activities of the criminal elements had not deterred our district and village heads of being proactive in reporting their activities to the security agencies,” he said.
He lamented that the massive displacement had equally caused dire humanitarian situation on the people which he described as “Pathetic”.
The monarch commended President Muhammadu Buhari and members of the National Assembly for establishing the commission which is aimed at addressing the massive humanitarian crises in the Northeast.
Abubakar commended the state government for prioritising the welfare of displaced persons as well as other peace building efforts aimed at bringing lasting peace in the state.
He assured that with the current efforts in the military’s counter insurgency operation, the crises would soon become a thing of the past.
Earlier, Yusuf said that the delegation was in the state for an on-the-spot assessment of activities of the commission within the last one year.
“The oversight is to look at what the commission did in the last one year and to know whether what they have done so far is in tandem with what was approved for the agency.
“We are also going to visit NEMA, NAPTIP and other government MDAs that falls under the committee’s oversight function,” he said.