Government to launch reconstruction plan in Far North Region

In the face of frequent terrorist attacks that have stalled the development of the Far North Region, the state will soon roll out plans to reconstruct the region. The first phase of the reconstruction is estimated to cost not less than 150 Billion FCFA. The document detailing this project was presented by the Minister of the Economy to the Prime Minister on January 14, 2021.

The Far North Region has been plagued by terrorism perpetrated by Boko Haram jihadists since the year 2014. These attacks from the Nigerian sect have caused the deaths of more than 3,000 people in the region, forcing many to desert their homes and their businesses. Thousands of other Northerners have equally taken refuge in neighboring Nigeria as refugees.

Aside from the Boko Haram crisis, the region has equally recently been terribly hit by floods for the past two years. Thousands have lost their homes to these floods. These activities have greatly hindered the socio-economic growth of the Far North Region. Citizens of this region have cried out severally for the government’s military aid. Most persons in these regions were resigned that the government had abandoned and chose to concentrate on militarizing the Anglophone zones rather than fighting the many problems plaguing the Far North.

In this line, the Minister of the Economy, Alamin Ousman Mey presented a reconstruction plan to PM Dion Ngute with 4 basic components: Repairing the damage caused in the region, relaunching the economy and reducing social vulnerability with a focus on women and youths, the resilience of the population to the climate change, governance and program management. The launch of the program is announced for the first quarter of 2021 and is expected to last for 5 years.