MAIDUGURI, Federal Republic of Nigeria. Senate President, Dr Bukola Saraki, has assured the people of North-East that the entire country is solidly behind them in this time of trial.
Saraki, who spoke when he led a delegation of the Senate on a one-day on-the-spot assessment of the security situation in Borno State, also made a cash donation of N10 million in support of the upkeep of the internally displaced persons (IDPs).
The Senate delegation was received by the Borno State governor, Alhaji Kassim Shettima, at the Government House, after welcoming the team at the Maiduguri International Airport at 12.10 p.m.
“We have come to feel your pains, to hear what you have been going through firsthand; to seek to understand the severe bloody struggle you have had to endure and go through emotionally, physically, financially and in many other ways which can hardly be put in words,” he said.
Saraki who also led the team, in company with Governor Shettima to pay homage to the Shehu of Borno, Alhaji Abubakar Ibn Umar Garbai El-Khanemi, assured the people that the Senate would do all in its power to ensure that life returned to the state and the zone.
Saraki later visited the IDP camps located at the Umaru Shehu College of Education in Maiduguri and the Government College Maiduguri with over 4,000 displaced persons respectively.
The delegation also visited the Dalori IDPs camp housing over 18,000 displaced persons from Bama Local Government Area of the state.
He said the resolution of the Senate to send a high-powered delegation led by himself was a demonstration of the commitment of the upper chamber to find a lasting solution to the plight of people in the North-East.
“We have come to sit with you and listen to you and hopefully together work out solutions that would significantly change your situation for the better. We believe that after this visit, your situation will not be the same again.
“The mission of our visit is simple; we have come to bring you hope and to let you know that the Nigerian Senate has not abandoned you and the real change is coming. We are determined to end this carnage, this senselessness and sorrowful war. We are determined to defeat Boko Haram.
“The Nigerian Senate and, indeed, the National Assembly is willing to support you and your families to ensure that your lives return to normal. We could not in good conscience talk to you from Abuja. No. This new Senate would rather come here and this is why we are here.
“We will be working closely with our counterparts in the House of Representatives to make sure that we rebuild the economy of the North-East. We will not rest on our oars until normalcy is returned to this troubled region,” he stated.
While welcoming the Senate president and his team, Governor Shettima, in emotion-laden voice, said the visit was historic and unprecedented.
“I would like to express my sincere and profound welcome to the Senate president and our respected and distinguished senators over this official visit to Borno State, which is the first of its kind by any Senate president since the advent of civilian administration in 1999.
“This is a clear manifestation of your concern for the plight of the people of the North-East region and Borno State in particular,” he stated.
Shettima observed that there were 26 IDP camps in Maiduguri alone, aside those in Cameroon, Chad, Niger and other states in the country.
He urged the National Assembly to pass a bill that would create the North-East Development Commission to handle the issue of reconstruction, rehabilitation and resettlement of the IDPs and provide employment for the youth as was done in the Niger Delta.
On his part, Shehu El-Kanemi called for more support to flush out the insurgents from the North-East and to achieve rehabilitation, empowerment of the IDPs and urgent restoration of power supply to the area.
Other members of the Senate delegation included Senate Leader, Ali Ndume; deputy chief whip, Senator Francis Alimikhena; Senator Danjuma Goje, Senator Bukar Abba Ibrahim, Senator Hassan Mohammed, Senator Abubakar Kyari and the Chief of Staff to the Senate President, Senator Isa Galaudu.
