A Federal Government delegation, led by Vice President Yemi Osinbajo and members of the diplomatic corps met at the State House on Monday to harmonise steps to address the humanitarian challenges in the North-East.
The U.S. Ambassador to Nigeria, Mr James Entwistle, told State House Correspondents that the meeting was held to enable the Nigerian government and the diplomatic community compare notes.
He added that the meeting was also held to ensure that they understood the each other on the scope and size of the humanitarian challenges in the region.
“What you have behind is a group of diplomats; we have come in as a group today to meet with the Vice President and his team to compare notes as friends on the situation in the North East.
“The meeting is to make sure we understand each other on the scope and the size of the humanitarian challenge and how we can coordinate when the time comes for the IDPs to go home,’’ he said.
Entwistle added that the meeting also discussed several upcoming workshops and conferences which would help to offer holistic solutions to the crises caused by Boko Haram insurgency in the North-East.
“But essentially, this is a group of diplomats that represent countries that stand ready to help and indeed are already helping the government with the humanitarian crises in the North-East just to compare notes with the Vice President.
“And we found that your government and all of our governments, we think, understand the scope of the job.
“Today’s meeting will really help us to do everything we can to alleviate the human sufferings going on in the North East,’’ he added.
Also speaking, Mr Michel Arrion, Ambassador and Head of Delegation of the European Union, said that besides comparing notes, the meeting discussed how the international community could support Nigeria in responding to the crises.
“We are here with our colleagues to participate in this meeting with the Vice President to compare notes about our assessment and the magnitude of the crises in the North-East.
“But also to what extent the international community could support the Nigerian government to respond to the crises,’’ he said.
Arrion said that the meeting agreed on the need for a comprehensive and global response since the Boko Haram crisis had become global crisis.
“And I think that the main message that we agreed with the government is certainly that we need a comprehensive and global response to the crisis.
“It is a global crisis, we need a global response and we have just reassured the Vice President that the international community was ready to support the Nigerian government,’’ he said. (NAN)
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