When the states within the North East subregion devastated by the ‘Boko-Haram’ insurgency started picking up their pieces and commenced resettlement of displaced communities, what became obvious was that the quantum of destruction was quite beyond what the states could shoulder, considering the lean resources at their disposal.
Yobe, a neighbouring State to Borno, the epicentre of the crises, is the second most affected state in the subregion, with most of the local government areas experiencing various degrees of attacks, displacements, loss of lives, properties and means of livelihoods.
Gujba Local Government Area, one of the worst affected, had several of its communities attacked, with scores of people killed, and maimed, and thousands of others displaced, making them Internally-Displaced Persons’ (IDP) to take refuge in camps established by the government, individuals and organisations.
The people of these communities, like victims of the insurgency in other Local Government areas in Yobe, were traumatised, having lost their means of livelihood, and had to depend on support from government and non-governmental organisations.
The magnitude of the humanitarian disaster was obviously huge, capital-intensive and difficult to maintain. Therefore, the return of relative peace to the displaced communities provided an opportunity for urgent measures to restore confidence in the displaced persons to fast-track the resettlement, reconstruction and recovery process.
This line of thinking propelled the action of the Yobe State Governor, Hon.Mai Mala Buni (CON), who thought the idea of keeping IDPs perpetually in camps, was not only defeatist, and retrogressive but also negative to the psyche of the victims.
The Governor therefore saw the need to build resilience in the people, with a view to facilitating resistance and encouraging resettlement, rehabilitation and recovery of their dignity.
As a starting point, the officially designated IDP camps were closed, while victims of the insurgency squatting in host communities but were willing to go back to their respective homes, were encouraged and supported.
To facilitate the resettlement of communities willing to return to their ancestral homes, the Yobe state government embarked on a Reconstruction, Rehabilitation and Recovery programme which entails rebuilding public structures, including Local Government Secretariats, Police stations, Schools, health and water facilities, roads and restoration of electricity, among others.
The impact of such a deft move by the Governor did not only encourage the people to return to their communities in droves, but has also turned the Yobe state formula for resettlement of victims of Humanitarian crises, a model for others to copy.
As succinctly put by Robert Piper, Special Adviser to the UN Secretary General, “the early management and resettlement of displaced persons with dignity in Yobe state, has made the state a role model in the management of emergency situations, and worthy of emulation”.
“We have a lot to learn and share from the Yobe state experience because the state government’s planning process was unique, with great lessons for the world to borrow; l hope to lead a team to the state soon, to study the Yobe style more and other areas of collaboration,” he said.
Governor Buni, the strategist, attributed the success of the reconstruction, rehabilitation and recovery process in the state to the willingness of the displaced persons to return to their communities with dignity.
“Our efforts have tremendously facilitated the Resettlement process and as we speak today, there is only one community in Yobe state that is yet to resettle after its displacement by the ‘Boko-Haram’ insurgency, 11 years ago,” Buni explained.
While appreciating the support received from Development Partners, Buni however lamented the administrative bottlenecks that had often slowed down the process of accessing support from some of the International Organisations, thereby retarding the resettlement process.
Spurred by the success story of Yobe state in the area of resettlement of IDPs and other fields of endeavour, a high-powered delegation from the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the Swiss government, and the North East Development Commission considered it worthy to be supportive of this positive drive.
The delegation, led by the UNDP Resident Representative Nigeria, Mohamed Yahya, was to come from Maiduguri to Damaturu by Chopper, but unfortunately, the weather was very dusty and hazy, resulting in poor visibility, making it impossible to fly.
When hope for their coming was almost lost, the team surfaced and said they travelled by road against all odds to fulfil their pledge of coming to Yobe State.
Dr. Mohammed Goje, the Executive Secretary of the State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA), and link-man for the visit, was readily available to ensure the success of the occasion.
Goje made a near-perfect arrangement to ensure that the visit was both hitch-free and beneficial to the government and people of the state as it provided an opportunity to redefine the existing relationship for more support and intervention.
The team said it was in the state to discuss more areas of partnership to support the second term of Governor Buni’s tenure.
Upon embarking on a facility tour of the new Maternity and Childcare complex, the visitors expressed amazement over the elegantly beautiful edifice and pledged to support the efforts of the Buni administration in providing education and quality healthcare delivery to the people.
The UNDP Resident Representative, Mohamed Yahya, who led the delegation to the 375-bed capacity Maternity and Child Healthcare Complex, said Buni had taken the state to the path of development.
“The two pillars of Governor Buni’s development agenda- investing in health and education- are in line with the Sustainable Development Goals Programme; the investment in the health sector is pretty impressive and Yobe state is back on the path of development after the devastation caused by insurgency. We are quite impressed with the potential of the facilities dealing with maternal and child healthcare challenges,” Yahya said.
Also, Governor Buni seized the opportunity to request for support of the Development Partners to facilitate the resettlement of the people of Malumdunari, the only community yet to relocate back home, and still living in their host community as Internally Displaced Persons.
The governor further requested support in the agriculture sector, being the mainstay of the people, to ensure sustainable means of livelihood that would enable them to resettle with dignity.
On Wednesday 4th October 2023, Governor Buni led the delegation on a tour of Malumdunari village. The entourage travelled on the 70 kilometres from Damaturu to Goniri road, traversing the expansive arable fields, some already cultivated, while others were left fallow by the displaced persons who fled their community.
The tumultuous crowd that turned out to welcome Governor Buni and his guests to the area gives hope for full resettlement of the only community yet to settle.
Amazed by the crowd, the UNDP Resident Representative said it was obvious the community harboured a lot of hope and expectation in the government and the Development Partners.
“The UNDP, UN and other members of the international community will take this up to support the Yobe state government for the people to return to their community with dignity.
“We hope that in about a year, the people can sing the welcome back home song, the way we did in Nganaram,” the UNDP leader said.
Yahya commended Governor Buni for his leadership and partnership style, providing the enabling environment for fruitful partnership and successful intervention.
“The visit to the Maternity and Children’s Hospital, and the feedback from our interactions with the people, encourages us to do more in Yobe State.
“I am glad that you see education and health as critical anchors for revitalising and making Yobe state move forward to attain the Sustainable Development Goals.
“ Your ambition for Yobe State is one that we are all proud of, and we are willing to come in for you to realise that ambition; we will accompany you in the next four years to achieve more for the state”, he added.
Mr Nicolas Marte, the representative of the government of Switzerland, said the visit afforded him the opportunity to see things for himself and assess areas of intervention, assuring that the government of Switzerland would partner Yobe state government in resettling the community and assist it in other areas of need to improve the lives of the people.
“I saw the havoc wreaked by Boko Haram insurgency, the displacement and needs of the people; l saw a lot of hope, so much arable land with potentials for agriculture; I saw vibrant and dynamic youth, and most of all, l heard our partners say how easy and productive to work with Yobe state government,” Marte reflected.
Similarly, the Northeast Development Commission, represented by Director of Engineering, Dr. Mohammed Yahaya Jalam, said the commission would provide support towards the resettlement of the community.
“We are also committed to partnering with the Yobe state government and support the return of this community back home, to resettle with dignity,” he said.
In his remarks, visibly elated Governor Buni specially appreciated the UNDP for its previous interventions which contributed significantly to the resettlement of displaced persons across the state.
He acknowledged the interventions of UNDP in education, healthcare, water facilities and human capital development sectors, just as he expressed the readiness of the state government to strengthen the partnership.
While commending the displaced persons for their resilience and commitment towards recovering their lives, Governor Buni gave the assurance of the government’s support in agriculture and other economic empowerment programmes through the state Ministry of Wealth Creation and Empowerment.
At a gala night, the August visitors were entertained by rich cultural heritage featuring breathtaking music and meticulously measured dance steps.
The Royal band from the Palace of the Emir of Damaturu His Royal Highness, Alh. Shehu Hashimi Ibn El-Kanemi ll performed a spectacular victory dance, welding swords to indicate the triumphant entry of warriors from a battlefield. It was indeed a night to remember a visit to Yobe State.
The attestations and encomiums poured on Governor Buni and Yobe state government captured the humility in the governor, and the diplomacy in his administration.
There is no doubt that this visit has redefined the partnership between the Yobe State government and the development partners, especially the UNDP, with great potential to attract more support to the government, geared towards improving the lives of the people of the state.
Mohammed is DG, Press and Media Affairs, Yobe State
