Jubilation galore as FG announces T.Y. Danjuma as head of govt committee for North- East rehabilitation

PresidentT Muhammadu Buhari says that a
committee to rehabilitate infrastructure and
resettle Internally Displaced Persons, IDPs
in the North-East sub-region is soon to be
formally inaugurated. The committee, to be
led by a frontline statesman, Lt.-Gen
Theophilus Yakubu Danjuma (rtd) will also
include Africa's richest man, Aliko Dangote,
GCON.
Speaking at the State House, Abuja in response to
a goodwill message delivered to him by a group,
Women In Politics Forum (WIPF), President Buhari
announced that all forms of assistance and aid in
this respect generated locally and from foreign
countries as promised by the Group of Seven of
Industrialized Countries,G7 will be channeled
through the committee when it is inaugurated.
He said that he had compiled a list of damaged
infrastructure,including schools and bridges and
handed it to the leaders of the G7 and the United
States, adding that "I didn't ask for a Kobo (in
cash). It is up to them to choose what they will
undertake. Already, some of them have sent
teams to verify our assertions." President Buhari
decried the impact of the Boko Haram violence on
women and children declaring that they are its
worst victims.
"In the North-East, what I saw for myself and on
those clips is a source of concern for people with
conscience. They are mostly women, and children
who are orphaned. Some of them don't even
know where they come from. This is the pathetic
situation in which the country has found itself."
He said that the fight for the return of the Chibok
girls is ongoing and "continues to be a most
worrying issue" to his government, emphasizing
that the administration will do all within its
powers in making the best efforts to secure their
freedom.
The President acknowledged the case made by
the WIPF for better representation of women in
his government and assured that women would
fare well in the composition of parastatals and
their boards in the first quarter of this year. He
also defended the records of the administration in
response to criticism that it is slow, arguing that
steps must taken with caution to avoid mistakes.
"People say we are slow. We are trying to change
structures put in place by our predecessors in
office for 16 years. If we hurry it, we will make
mistakes. That will be a disaster." President
Buhari assured that the country has a budget
proposal for the new year that is good for
employment and manufacturing. "By the end of
the second quarter, the full impact of these
positive measures will be felt," he told the visiting
women.
The WIPF, made up of women leaders from 26
registered political parties led by Barrister Ebere
Ifendu of the Labour Party expressed their full
support for the government's war on corruption
and insecurity. They asked the administration to
usher in laws to promote gender equity as well as
action towards the implementation of the
Violence Against Persons Prohibition Act. The
Women's group made the record of being the first
organization to be received by the President in
the New Year.
Garba Shehu SSAP (Media and Publicity), State
House, Abuja.