FG gets N1.21bn EU, Japan grants to fight insurgency

The Federal Government has
received two grants totalling
N1.2bn from the European Union
and the Government of Japan to
tackle insurgency in the North-East
as well as to improve the level of
disaster management in the
country.
The agreement for the release of
the grant was signed in Abuja
between the Federal Government
and representatives from the EU
and the government of Japan.
Minister of National Planning, Dr.
Abubakar Sulaiman, signed on
behalf of the Federal Government
while the Head of the European
Union Delegation to Nigeria, Mr.
Michel Arrion, and the Charge the
Affairs of Japan, Mr. Masaya Otsuka,
signed on behalf of the EU and
Japan respectively.
The pact for the release of the
grants was also witnessed by the
Minister of Women Affairs, Hajiya
Zainab Maina; the Executive
Secretary, National Planning
Commission, Mr Bassey Akpanyung;
and the Director-General, National
Emergency Management Agency,
Mr. Sani Sidi.
While the EU grant, which was put
at €1.5m (about N325m) was for the
support of children and adolescents
affected by the insurgency in Borno
State; that of Japan, valued at $4.5m
(about N886.5m), is for the
provision of disaster management
equipment to be used in Nigeria.
Speaking at the event, Sulaiman
described the $4.5m grant from
Japan as a game changer in the
disaster management objective of
the Federal Government.
He said, “Nigeria has experienced
various degrees of disaster over
the years, including flooding, fire
disasters, disease epidemics, oil
spillage, climate change and
terrorism.
“In most cases, whether natural or
man-made, our response level may
not have matched the magnitude
of the negative occurrences.
Draught, desertification, flooding,
fire outbreak, disease epidemics
and terrorism are the most
common source of disaster.
“Flooding, which is the most
recurring disaster in Nigeria, is
usually caused by either climatic or
non-climatic factors thus leading to
River floods, flash floods, urban
floods, sewage floods, glacial lake
outburst floods and coastal floods.
“The yearly recurrence of flooding
in Nigeria with disastrous
consequences serves to illustrate
the country’s inadequate
preparedness and low capacity for
effective disaster management.
“The resources for effective
management of the occurrences
are not readily available; hence the
support from development
partners serves as invaluable
assistance.”
While commending the
government of Japan and the EU for
the grants, the minister assured
them that the fund would be
judiciously used as stipulated in
the terms of the agreement.
On the EU grant, he said the fund
was expected to contribute in
mitigating the negative
psychological implications of the
humanitarian crisis that currently
plague Borno State, the operational
base of the terrorist Islamic sect,
Boko Haram.
This crisis, he said, had largely
disrupted education and health
services, including immunisation
activities, in the state.