Nigerian envoy commends UN in checking terrorism, humanitarian crisis

Nigeria is paying back the UN in loads of commendation for the international partnership it engendered in checking some of the enormous humanitarian encounters posed by the boko haram insurrection. Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Amb. Sola Enikanolaiye, said this on his visit to the UN headquarters in New York where he met Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed. Enikanolaiye appreciated UN agencies and partners involved in proffering solutions to the huge humanitarian problems in the North Eastern part of Nigeria, in addition to their efforts aimed at checking various environmental and development challenges in the country. “We wish to commend the UN agencies and organizations working in the Northern part of Nigeria. “We reassure the UN of the Government’s commitment to the security and safety of humanitarian workers and relief supplies to the victims of boko haram in the region,”Â Amb Enikanolaiye said. The Nigerian ambassador also stated Nigeria’s appreciation to the world body for financing the Ogoni clean-up project. Enikanolaiye stressed the indispensable need to broaden partnership with the UN, as it regard the resolution of humanitarian and environmental degradation in the Niger Delta region. On behalf of the Nigerian government, he said it would deepen commitment to ongoing resolution process of the Niger-Delta crisis by adopting several measures. He said that “through dialogue and empowerment, the situation in the region has begun to stabilize with obvious implications on environmental sustainability.” Enikanolaiye praised the show of new commitment by the UN in its drive to ensure rapid return of peace and stability to the Lake Chad region by the visit of members of the Security Council there. He reaffirmed of Nigeria’s unwavering stance on the total steadiness of north east and he hoped the Secretary-General, as well as global development institutions, would visit the region soon. “The Lake Chad Climate Resilience Action Plan outlines the concept that there is a need to turn Lake Chad into a rural hub for regional development in parallel to the restoration of peace and security. We appeal to the UN for financial and technical support for the initiative,”Â He said. Enikanlaiye reminded Amina Mohammed of the need to allow Nigerians benefit in the UN System by means of the Junior Professional Officers’ (JPO) Programme, and internship for young Nigerian graduates. He also commended the emergence of Mohammed as Deputy Secretary-Gen, noting that attention on Nigeria and Africa would be drawn away from the negatives of war, terrorism and pandemics to focus on development. Enikanolaiye also pleaded for more support of the UN in checking infectious diseases like meningitis in Nigeria and recurrence of Ebola in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Mohammed however noted the need for Nigeria to take the lead in Africa with a new UN diplomat in office. She promised a scheduled visit of the Secretary-General Antonio Guterres to the Lake Chad region, but advised Nigeria to take the lead in the process in order that the purpose of the visit would be served.