Boko Haram: Belgium to spend €5m on North East annually

The Kingdom of Belgium has approved €5m annually to fast track the rebuilding of the North East ravaged by the Boko Haram insurgency.

The Ambassador of Belgium to Nigeria, Daniel Bertrand, said this in Abuja Wednesday when he led a delegation on a courtesy visit to the Managing Director of the North East Development Commission (NEDC), Mohammed Alkali.

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He said this was part of the Belgian government’s efforts towards ameliorating the sufferings of the people of the North East.

“We’re not indifferent to what is happening in the North-East part of the country, especially from the humanitarian point of view, we are at the disposal of the Nigerian authorities to do better.

“I think it is more or less €5m per year. Regarding other areas where we can assist, it depends on the request of the Nigerian authorities,” Bertrand said.

Responding, Alkali appealed to the Belgian government to intervene in education, agriculture and sports development, and facilitate the return of internally displaced persons to their villages.

“Belgium, as part of the EU, is one of the largest contributors to salvage the humanitarian crisis in the North East when the humanitarian crisis was handed over to us,” Alkali said.