President Jonathan is hopeful over prospect of raising $500 Million support fund during a 12-month period, to provide more relief and succour for those who have been adversely affected by terrorism over the past years.

President Goodluck Jonathan with Prof. Babatunde Osotimehin,
Exec. Director of the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA)

President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan said Wednesday in Abuja, the nations’s capital that he expects members of Nigerian’s vibrant private sector and friends of the country in the international community to donate very generously to the Victims’ Support, which will be formally launched Thursday.

Speaking at separate audiences with the Secretary-General of the Commonwealth, Mr. Kamalesh Sharma, and the Executive Director of the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), Prof. Babatunde Osotimehin,

The President said his administration’s was committed to doing all within its powers to help victims of insurgency and terrorism rebuild their lives and communities, stating that the fund will be managed by a non-governmental organization.

The fund will also be used to rebuild of schools and to create safer environment for education in the affected states.

Welcoming the pledges of support from the Commonwealth and UNFPA, made by Mr. Sharma and Prof. Osotimehin, President Jonathan said that his administration appreciated the solidarity of the International Community as it grapples with the challenging task of overcoming the twin scourges of terrorism and insurgency.

“We continue to work very hard to deal with the problem. It is a major challenge and we welcome all the assistance we can get,” the President said.

He told the Secretary-General, Sharma that Nigeria remains fully committed to the goals of the Commonwealth and will continue to support all efforts to reform and strengthen the organization for the benefit of member-countries and their people.

Mr. Sharma had told the President that he was in Abuja to express the Commonwealth’s full solidarity with Nigeria as it contends with the very difficult task of overcoming insurgency and terrorism, and to also explore ways in which the Commonwealth could assist Nigeria in that regard.

Prof. Osotimehin said that UNFPA was already working with the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) and its civil society partners in Nigeria to provide a measure of support to families and girls in some affected states.
He expressed the hope that the United Nations will evolve a comprehensive programme in support of efforts to deal with the humanitarian crisis caused by terrorism and insurgency in Nigeria and neighbouring countries.

This was contained in a statement sighned by the Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Dr. Reuben Abati.