Chairman of First Bank Plc, Ibukun Awosika, has paid a visit to the camps of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) in Maiduguri, Borno State capital.
Awosika during the visit said that the Organised Private Sector was working to raise funds in partnership with the United Nations (UN) to address humanitarian crisis in the Northeastern part of the country.
She said the effort was being spearheaded by an non-governmental organisation (NGO), Nigeria Private Sector Initiative (NPSI).
Awosika, who led members of the initiative, most of them from banking, energy and legal sectors, said the organisation would partner with the UN to raise money to rebuild the northeast, and urged all Nigerians to contribute.
“This is the second team of the private sector groups who came to Borno to see the realities on ground to enable us assist the displaced persons
“The situation is quite overwhelming, heart-rending. I look at the children and I see the problems of the future if they don’t get what they really need in terms of education, healthcare support and stable family life.
“It’s a national problem, even though what we see is more of international support but traditionally as a people we are known for looking out to support our own people.
“Apart from what the rest of the world are doing to help us, we should help ourselves in any layer; through political, government and through citizens’ decisions. It is about mobilising the whole of Nigerians to support this cause,” she said.
Managing Director, Ecobank, Biyi Ologbami, said that the visit was part of the Nigeria Humanitarian Fund-Private Sector Initiative (NHF-PSI), founded in 2018 to fast track collaboration between the UN, humanitarian organisations and indigenous firms in raising funds.
