Reintegrating 2 million IDPs is our challenge now, says Buhari

President Muhammadu Buhari says normalcy is returning to the north-eastern part of the country but the problem his administration faces is reintegrating Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) with their families.

A statement released on Saturday by Garba Shehu, presidential spokesman, quoted Buhari to have said this at the opening of the sixth Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD VI) in Nairobi.

The president explained that when he took over office in 2015, the north-east was completely ravaged by Boko Haram insurgents but his administration was able to tackle the situation with the help of Chad, Cameroon, Niger, Benin and Japan.

“As I speak, the terror group has been decimated and life is beginning to return to normal in the affected region,” Buhari said.

“The challenge we currently face, which is also being addressed, is that of the IDPs, which number over two million to get them reintegrated with their families and their original homes.”

Buhari appreciated Japan for its contribution of $800 million to the fight against malaria, tuberculosis and other diseases on the African continent.

He said in view of these challenges Africa was facing, it was important to partner with the Tokyo International Conference on African Development.

“Today, many countries in Africa, including the oil-producing ones, are wisely seeking to diversify their economies away from mono-cropping,” Buhari added.

“In Nigeria, our administration has already taken concrete steps to diversify the economy by making agriculture not just a development programme but a thriving business.

“Investing in the economies of this continent, especially through Public-Private-Partnership, can contribute to building capacity for our economies.”