Vice President Yemi OsinbajoThe humanitarian crisis caused by Boko Haram is far beyond Nigeria’s financial capabilities, Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, said on Monday, begging international Rock Star artist Bono, and Africa’s richest man, Alhaji Aliko Dangote, to urgently tell the world.
Over two million Nigerians remain displaced while more than 25000 have killed since the insurgency began in 2009.
Thousands of people have been kidnapped, including hundreds of Chibok girls who have now been in captivity for more than two years.
With such numbers, Mr. Osinbajo said on Monday that the Federal Government will welcome a global partnership that would ensure a “concerted and focused international response” to the humanitarian crisis caused by Boko Haram.
Mr. Osinbajo spoke when he received members of the ONE campaign led by the international Rock Star artist Bono, and Africa’s richest man, Alhaji Aliko Dangote, who were at the Presidential Villa to discuss the possibilities of a global partnership to address the crisis through international advocacy.
Addressing members of the delegation that included former UK Development Secretary Douglas Alexander, Prof. Osinbajo noted that “it is very important that you chose to come and offer some partnership. This is great and we are pleased…Partnership is certainly the way to go.”
He said no matter how prepared a country could be, handling the kind of crisis in the North-East with two million displaced people including children, as a single country “would be irresponsible.”
According to him however, a global partnership to address the situation should be coordinated and more focussed on what is required to be done, for instance, in addressing the issue of malnourished children and not attempting to do too much things at once.
The Irish born artist Bono said he has visited some of the IDPs and said “we want to be useful to you,” adding that what he saw in the region was “deeply disturbing.”
The ONE campaign is an advocacy organization with more than seven million people around the world taking action to end extreme poverty and preventable diseases especially in Africa. It has on its board people like Mo Ibrahim, Bill Gates, Micheal Bloomberg among others. It was founded in 2004.