The Nigerian government has secured a loan of $179. 42 million for basic service delivery and livelihood empowerment in the North-Eastern states, ravaged by Boko Haram.
Besides the loan of $179. 42 million, the program has also received a grant of $3. 98 million.
Inclusive Basic Service Delivery and Livelihood Empowerment Integrated Programme (IBSDLEIP), is being anchored by the Federal Ministry of Water Resources and would be implemented in five States of Adamawa, Taraba, Gombe, Borno and Bauchi.
Engineer John Mamza, National Coordinator of the program, disclosed at a workshop in Yola on Monday that “FG’s focus is to build back better” all the facilities destroyed by Boko Haram terrorists.
“This Program is part of the on-going Federal Government efforts toward North East States Emergency Transition, Recovery and Peace building, elaborated by the five-year programmatic ‘Buhari Plan’ of 2016.
“The programme which is multi-sectoral cuts across Education, Health, Labour, Women Affairs and Water Resources. The Rural Water Supply and Sanitation has major shares”, he added.
Mamza furthered, “The Program will help address the needs of an estimated 14 million affected people, including over 2.3 million Internally Displaced Persons, of whom nearly 80 % are women, children, and youth and with special attention to rural households in Local Government Areas affected by the insurgency”.
However, critics of the government have questioned the targeted 14 million people, mocking; “the figure is more than half, the population in the North-East”.
Others feel the program of the Federal Ministry of Water Resources is a duplication of the role of North-East Development Commission.
Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, Nigeria’s Vice President, launched the program in 2018.