Insurgency : Victim Support Fund To Open Operational Offices In North East

Tom Garba

The  Nigerian Foundation for the Support of Victims of Terrorism (VSF) is to open offices in some States of the North Eastern region of the country, the organization has proposed Yola and Maiduguri for effective service delivery to victims of Boko Haram insurgency in the North East.

The Executive Director of the fund, Prof. Sunday Ochoche, made the disclosure on Monday in Yola at a three-day stakeholders forum organized for participants from Adamawa, Borno and Yobe states.

Ochoche also said that the fund which spent N2 billion last year in the affected state would be expending N3 billion this year (2017).

“We cannot effectively deliver from Abuja, so we have to show our presence here with a zonal office in Yola.”

Ochoche said that the three-day workshop with the theme: “Building Effective Synergy for Ownership and Sustainability” with stakeholders comprising government, civil societies, traditional and religious institutions among others was to assess their roles in the implementation of VSF interventions to ensure ownership and sustainability.

He also said that the forum was to assess the knowledge of stakeholders on VSF Strategic Areas of support and assess the effectiveness of VSF interventions.

“To identify key enablers that might be needed to accelerated effective and efficient delivery of services to targeted beneficiaries.

“To develop indicators for tracking outcomes of projects as well as build feedback mechanism for all VSF interventions at the community level.”

Ochoche lauded the collaboration and support being enjoyed by the fund from the governments of Adamawa, Borno and Yobe states, adding that the fund was aware of the challenges in Madagali with the incident of rampant bombings and would equipped Michika and Mubi General Hospitals to cater for victims from Madagali.

In his speech, the Deputy Governor of Adamawa who is also the chairman of Adamawa State Emergency Management Agency, Mr Martins Babale, lauded the fund for its various interventions in the state particularly in areas of education, healthcare and humanitarian services.

In his message to the occasion, the chairman of the fund, Gen. T.Y Danjuma who was represented by Amb. John Gana, reiterated the commitment of the fund to the welfare of boko haram victims and tasked stakeholders to come up with effective approach to addressing the challenges in the north east.

Some of the stakeholders who spoke at the occasion including Mallam Mohammed Bukar and Hajiya Hauwa Abubakar, lauded the fund for its sustain impact on the lives of boko haram victims in the affected state.