Obasanjo seeks global support against insurgency

Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has urged the international community to help tackle the humanitarian crisis in the North East ravaged by Boko Haram insurgency.

Obasanjo made the call yesterday in Maiduguri at the donation of 35,930 kilograms of seeds by the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) to Borno State government.

According to him: “We call on the international community for help. We know the terrorists are on the run, but the Boko Haram menace has not been completely solved.”

He said the international community had a great role to play in ensuring food security in the region.“We have to tell the world that our problem in the North East is not our inability to feed ourselves because we are lazy. Our challenge has to do with the menace of Boko Haram and the insecurity that we have to face for the past years,” he said.

The former leader disclosed that the Zero Hunger Forum (ZHF), which he is the current chairman, has identified five states in the country to achieve food sufficiency by 2025, instead of 2030 proposed by the United Nations World Food Programme.

The pilot scheme of the forum, according to him, has identified Borno, Ebonyi, Benue, Sokoto and Ogun states to achieve self-sufficiency in food production.

Meanwhile, the Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Sa’ad Abubakar II has challenged governors in the northern part of the country to focus on provision of jobs for youths to ensure conducive atmosphere for economic growth and development in the region.

The monarch who spoke at the opening of the second Kano Economic and Investment Submit said economic growth could only be achieved in a peaceful atmosphere.
The summit is part of activities marking the golden jubilee of the state.