FG Contributes N453.2m To Regional Stabilisation Facility

Nigeria has so far contributed about N453.2 million ($1.1 million) to the Regional Stabilisation Facility-Nigeria (RSF) Window aimed at ensuring peace and security stability in the North East region.

Minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning, Mrs. Zainab Ahmed who disclosed this at the recently held Project Board Meeting for Regional Stabilisation Facility-Nigeria (RSF) Window Virtual assured that Nigeria remained firmly committed to the stabilization work in the North East, and to working closely with all stakeholders to restore peace and prosperity to the affected states.

On the government-led multi-stakeholder and multi-sectoral approach to stabilising the Lake Chad region, she stated that the government’s experience with the RSF demonstrates the importance of employing a government-led multi-stakeholder and multi-sectoral approach to stabilising the Lake Chad region.

And as federal government develops the next generation of national development plans (Medium-Term National Development Plans, and the long-term National Development Plan – ‘Nigeria Agenda 50’), Ahmed explained that Nigeria was prioritising sustainable and inclusive development and are ensuring specific interventions aimed at ensuring peace and security across Nigeria, and on stabilising the North East region.

According to a statement issued by her Special Adviser, Media and Communications, Yunusa Tanko Abdullahi, the Minister expressed recognition of the pivotal role of the RSF in achieving this goal, and are committed to continued implementation, and to exploring expansion of the RSF to provide coverage to additional communities.

“As demonstrated in a recently completed United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Report, the conflict in the North-East of Nigeria has altered the development trajectory of the region, and we all need to deepen and scale efforts in the region if we are to ensure stability and resilience,” she said.

Making reference to the negative impact of COVID-19, the Minister said the pandemic has had a potentially devastating impact on the Nigerian economy and on security in the region (and the country at large), and resulted in a brief recession from which we exited in Q4 2020.

According to her: “The pandemic required that we take a critical look at our health and economic policies, and introduce crisis management measures, catalyse support to the health sector, and accelerate certain key reforms while reimagining others entirely.

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