Dutch Embassy Pledges Technical Support For Northeast Reconstruction

The Dutch Ambassador to Nigeria HE Amb John CM Groffen has pledged his country’s commitment to the FG’s post insurgency reconstruction plan. He made this known during a courtesy call to the office of the Presidential Committee for the Victim Support Fund in Abuja.

Receiving him Gen TY Danjuma the head of the Presidential Committee on North East interventions PCNI who also doubles as the Chairman of the CVSF expressed his gratitude to the Dutch government for their interest in Nigeria’s post insurgency plans. He further stressed the importance of safety in the region before IDPs can return to their communities.

In his remarks Amb. Groffen said the stability of Nigeria was in the interest of the Dutch government, because Nigeria hosts several Dutch companies operating in different facets of the Nigerian economy.
“Nigeria is one of the most important countries in Africa, what happens in Nigeria affects the Netherlands, there are immediate economic effects, financial effects, stabilizing Nigeria is also in our interests, what I am trying to is to areas where Dutch companies can operate and offer assistance in a joint effort” he added.

Responding on behalf of the Victim Support Fund, the Director of Operations Professor Nana Tanko said “The VSF was also working to support hospitals to give them the capacity to provide support for emergency cases, we have given support to 14 and we are looking to support more hospitals, this year, maybe about 15 to twenty more hospitals we are also looking to support education on a larger scale, we have given the safe school initiative up to 2 Billion Naira to support the continuation of education in the North East, especially in areas where they have been displaced to ensure that their education continues”

On the establishment of the PCNI Professor Soji Adeleja said, President Muhammadu Buhari’s idea is to have a body to supervise all the rebuilding efforts in the North East through a national vision that equally supports regional integration and development,

Gen Danjuma further assured Amb. Groffen of extending an invitation to the Embassy’s to participate in the forthcoming Stakeholders Conference to harmonize plans for the reconstruction of the North East.