UN HAILS NIGERIA FOR SUCCESS IN FIGHT AGAINST BOKO HARAM

The United Nations has commended Nigeria for the successes it has so
far recorded in the fight against terrorism.

The Special Representative of the UN Secretary General for West
Africa, Mr. Mohammed Ibn Chambas, who made the commendation in Abuja
on Friday during a courtesy visit to the Minister of Information and
Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, said he had earlier visited the
North-east and is pleased with the military onslaught against Boko
Haram.

“First and foremost, we will like to once again express the solidarity
and the support of the United Nations for the effort of Nigeria in
fighting Boko Haram terrorists. This is part of the international
fight against terrorism because Boko Haram has proclaimed its
allegiance and its part of the international terrorists’ network.

“So Nigeria enjoys the support and the cooperation in many technical
areas relating to this fight against Boko Haram both within Nigeria
and also within the Lake Chad Basin countries,” he said.

Mr. Chambas commiserated with Nigeria over the large-scale destruction
and havoc wrecked on the communities by the terrorists, which led to a
huge humanitarian catastrophe in the North-east, saying the UN has
equally scaled-up its humanitarian activities to confront the
challenge.

The UN Envoy, however, observed that as the military continues to make
progress against Boko Haram, more communities that have been trapped
behind the enemy lines are being liberated, thus increasing the
humanitarian challenge.

He therefore appealed to international NGOs, donor agencies and
development partners to complement the mobilization of funds to bridge
the funding gap in delivering humanitarian assistance to the liberated
communities.

Mr. Chambas also commended the Federal Government for appointing a
ministerial level coordinator for the efforts of both the government
and the private sector as well as donor agencies in addressing the
humanitarian challenges in the region.

In his remark, the Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai
Mohammed, thanked the United Nations for its support towards
alleviating the suffering of the displaced persons.

“The humanitarian crisis caused by Boko Haram is being under-played
and it’s a global issue, which should not be left to Nigeria alone,”
he said.