Mohammed, UN scribe, tasks Africa on Boko Haram, conflicts

Canada Announces $119.25m Aid To Nigeria, Others

The UN Deputy Secretary-General, Ms. Amina Mohammed, has challenged Nigeria and African countries to learn from the lessons of Boko Haram insurgency and other violent conflicts ravaging the continent.

According to a News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) report, Mohammed made the remarks at a “special honorary dinner,” organised in her honour by Nigerian women at the Nigeria House in New York, where she expressed regrets that the gains of peace were becoming easily lost on the continent.

She said: “We know, today, that often in Africa, we very quickly might get the gains of peace, as we did in South Sudan, Democratic Republic of Congo and Somalia, but they are so quickly lost because we do not invest in the thereafter.

“So the lessons learnt is that as we recover from Boko Haram in the Northeast of Nigeria, let us not forget we need investment 24-seven in large amount for many years to come.

In a related development, the Canadian Government, Friday, said it would provide $119.25m as funds in response to humanitarian crises in Northeast Nigeria, South Sudan, Somalia and Yemen.

This was contained in a statement from Ms. Brittany Venhola-Fletcher, Spokesperson, Media Relations, Global Affairs Canada, made available to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja.

Global Affairs Canada manages the country’s diplomatic and consular relations, promotes its international trade and leads Canada’s international development and humanitarian assistance.

The announcement, it stated, was made by Canada’s Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship, Mr. Ahmed Hussen, on behalf of the Minister of International Development and La Francophonie, Marie-Claude Bibeau.

Hussingtree said 27.35 million dollars of the fund would be made available to Nigeria.He said: “It is estimated that in the three most impacted states of the northeast in Nigeria, 8.5 million people will require humanitarian assistance in 2017, of which 5.1 million are severely food insecure.

“Assistance for basic survival and protection is vital for displaced populations, host communities and vulnerable people across the northeast.”