Bauchi State Governor, Mohammed Abubakar, has warned that efforts to rebuild the areas devastated by activities of insurgents in the North-East will fail unless the underlying problems of poverty and ignorance were adequately addressed.
Abubakar gave the warning yesterday when he received a 12-member Assessment Team of the European Union (EU), United Nations (UN) and World Bank (WB) on insurgency devastated areas in the North-East to Bauchi.
Alhaji Wakil Adamu from the office of the vice president, led the team on a courtesy call to him at Government House, Bauchi in company with officials of National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), the State Emergency Management Agency and UNICEF, among others.
The governor said the mission of the team was a welcome and timely one in view of the devastation Boko Haram has unleashed on Nigerians particularly those residing in the North- East.
“Rebuilding infrastructure is important in rebuilding the areas but addressing the underlying factor of the insurgency is much more important because the North-East is seriously affected by poverty and ignorance.
“If poverty and ignorance are not properly addressed, they could provide grounds for the rise of another crazy group if Boko Haram is taken care of. We are running a risk if poverty is not addressed.”
He explained that Bauchi State has played host to an influx of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) since 2004 following ethno-religious crises in Kaduna, Plateau and some parts of Bauchi long before the Boko Haram crisis broke in1999.
Credit: Sun
