The United Nations Deputy Secretary General, Amina Mohammed in recent visits across some African countries to discuss strategies to rebuild setbacks as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic made a stop in her home country Nigeria.
She discussed with the Nigeria’s president, Muhammadu Buhari, in a closed door meeting at the state house in the nation’s capital city lasted for over three hours.
According to a statement by the presidential spokesman, the recent #EndSARS protest and its’ aftermath was a talking point at the meeting. The president said it was in the best interest of youths to maintain law and order and discontinue protests.
The Deputy Secretary General of the United Nations, Amina Mohammed, remarked that the #EndSARS protest was an unfortunate situation and was an alarming one as well.
Speaking at the closed door meeting, she said,
“We believe that in addressing the demands that were made by the young people, perhaps, it is a lesson that we can take into the future on how we engage on such issues”. “There are many protest around the world that has been exacerbated by COVID. Because COVID has left people out work, hopeless because of the socio-economic impact”.
AMINA J. MOHAMMED – UN, Deputy secretary general
Mohammed stressed that the UN is more particular on the ability of government to address these outstanding issues raised from the protest and that for this to happen, an engaged youth and an engaged government is needed.
She further called for a better youth and government engagement in handling such crises.
Also speaking with the Vice President, Professor Yemi Osinbajo, Amina Mohammed presented the lunch of the United Nations Nigeria 2020-2022 plus offer on Socio-Economic recovery which is aimed at supporting Nigeria in its immediate effort at Risk mitigation.
This offer by the United Nations will mobilize for Nigeria 250 million dollars.
In response to the presentation done by the United Nations Deputy Secretary General, Nigeria’s Vice President, Professor Yemi Osinbajo noted that
“This is very helpful to us because we put together a plan that will cost us 2.3 trillion. Half of that is in form of loans and facilities and the other half of it of course is budgeted funds. But we still have a huge gap and that gap I think has been very well made up for by this initiative”.
Professor yemi osinbajo – vice president, federal republic of nigeria
Amina Mohammed in the company of some UN senior officials will in the next couple of days visit Niger, Sierra Leone and Ghana.
However, before leaving Nigeria, the team says it will conduct an assessment of the resettlement efforts in Borno state.
