The Federal Government has said it would seek possible ways of harmonizing humanitarian efforts for the wider benefits of Nigerians.
The Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Disaster Management and Social Development, Sadiya Umar Farouk made the pledge on Tuesday in a meeting with stakeholders in Lagos.
TheFact Nigeria reports that Farouk explained that most of the groups involved in humanitarian efforts are currently not working together.
Farouk who was represented by the ministry’s Permanent Secretary, Bashir Alkali said, “Basically if you have been following the ministry’ mandate, one of the key mandates of the ministry is the harmonisation of all the humanitarian efforts both locally and internationally.
“The humanitarian peace development nexus was actually supposed to be a framework that will now coordinate the activities of these humanitarian actors
“If you could see, you will see practically, all the development partners that are involved in humanitarian activities, IOM, UNCTAD and other organizations, are all present here today.
“We started this meeting earlier in the year. There is supposed to be a peace development nexus framework that should coordinate all the activities of these actors.
“During the goodwill messages, one of the partners actually said it’s like most of the humanitarian actors are not talking in the same language, meaning everybody is doing their own thing their own way.
“What this peace meeting is supposed to do is harmonize their activities. If we have a humanitarian response, how do we do it together in the same format so that those people that are affected are actually the ones that get these things that they are supposed to get.
“If humanitarian actor A is doing this, it is the same thing humanitarian B, C and D should be doing so that there will be proper coordination and those people that are supposed to be catered for are taken care of in all ramifications.
“This is about the 3rd technical meeting that is supposed to harmonize the activities of these actors and then bring out the best way to respond to humanitarian activities.
“We are expecting contributions from all the humanitarian actors, which have already started. They are going to be harmonised and then presented to the government through the apex body, which is the national humanitarian coordinating committee, which is chaired by the Minister, Federal Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and co-chaired by the National Security Adviser.
“So this is just a technical working group that is supposed to develop the framework and then give it to the apex body for implementation.”
Also speaking during the stakeholders meeting, Country Director for Action Aid Nigeria, Mrs Ernest Obi explained that the framework will help many people to come together during humanitarian efforts.
“All of those who are working in the area of humanitarian and being led by the Federal Ministry of Humanitarian Disaster Management and Social Development.
“So we need to come together because, in everything we do, we are not the Government. We need to be led by the Government.
“The framework set the pace and since the framework has been already launched, we feel this is the next step forward and Action Aid is very happy to support the ministry and also its partners.
“One of the key things we are focusing on is localisation because you can work at the national and state levels, if you’re not at the local government level and the community level, the people at the grassroots won’t feel your efforts.
“We need to create all those linkages because all of the community we are working with local government and they are the local governance,”.
