- Safiu Kehinde
The United Nations Mission has paid a visit to Bama area of Borno state ahead of the fifth Lake Chad Basin Governors Forum for Regional Cooperation on Stabilization, Peacebuilding, and Sustainable Development in Maiduguri.
This was disclosed in a statement issued by the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs and made available to NPO Reports on Tuesday.
According to the statement, the UN delegates who visited Bama community include the Special Representative of the Secretary-General (SRSG) and Head of the UN Office for West Africa and the Sahel (UNOWAS), Mr. Leonardo Santos Simão, the SRSG for the UN Regional Office for Central Africa (UNOCA), Mr. Abdou Abarry, and the UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator for Nigeria, Mr. Mohamed M. Fall.
The high-level officials highlighted the steady progress made in Bama eight years after it liberation from insurgency.
This includes joint Government, UN and partners efforts to provide internally displaced persons (IDPs) with humanitarian assistance and livelihood support and initiatives enhancing social cohesion and reintegration through social and economic activities.
The UN officials also noted the challenges that remain including violence, the threat posed by the climate crisis, and inadequate basic services.
They visited a centre equipping young girls and boys with livelihood skills run by the International Organization for Migration (IOM) and a UNICEF-run social cohesion project at the Government Senior Secondary School (GSSS) camp.
In addition, they visited a nutrition centre supported by the World Food Programme (WFP) where malnourished children are receiving treatment.
The officials also spoke with women and adolescent girls at a UNHCR/GISCOR Safe Space and met with representatives of humanitarian agencies in Bama.
They also paid a courtesy call on the Shehu of Bama Dr. Umar Kyari Umar El-kanemi.
Speaking during the visit, the UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator in Nigeria, Mohamed Fall, admitted that a lot has changed in the community as compared to his last visit.
He, however, held that there is more work to do in addressing insecurity in the area.
“I returned to Bama today, eight years since my last visit – which was a few months after it was liberated from the insurgency. A lot has changed since then, with marked improvement in the lives of people affected by the crisis.
“While there is still work to be done to address insecurity and its impact on civilians, I thank the Borno State authorities, donors, UN agencies and partners for their commitment and dedication through this journey that has made Bama what it is today. I also call for sustained support to address the remaining challenges,” he said.
According to the statement, Bama town remains vulnerable to attacks by non-state armed groups due to its proximity to the Sambisa Forest.
This has made it difficult for communities to carry out livelihood activities, including farming, fishing and firewood collection.
As a result, it has increased their dependence on humanitarian assistance.
Bama illustrates the situation of many communities across the Lake Chad Basin impacted by 16 years of conflict in the region.