Governor Ibrahim Gaidam of Yobe State has called on the United Nations World Food Programme,WFP, to scale up its humanitarian intervention in his state in order to swiftly help people ravaged by Boko Haram insurgency.

The Governor made this appeal on Thursday when he hosted the agency’s Regional Director for West Central Africa,  Abdou Dieng, at the Government House, Yobe.

Dieng was appointed as regional director of WFP two weeks after working as coordinator of UN response to the Ebola crisis in Guinea.

Accompanied by key officials of the WFP including Nigeria Country Director, Sory Ibrahim Ouane, Dieng described the humanitarian situation in the Northeast region as ‘complex’.

He said the WFP is keen to scale up its humanitarian intervention in Yobe State and the Northeast especially now that people affected by Boko Haram attacks were gradually returning to their communities.

He pledged to collaborate and coordinate with the Yobe State Government in the effort to provide succour to the victims of the Boko Haram insurgency.

Gaidam recounted the destructive impacts of Boko Haram on communities in Yobe State and said that up to 300,000 people were displaced by the insurgent group.

He said: “One of the biggest challenges before us and our partners is that of resettlement, reconstruction and rehabilitation of the affected areas and assistance to people whose property and assets were either destroyed or vandalized.”

He asked the WFP to provide further assistance to IDPs and other vulnerable people in the state.

Meanwhile Co- Chair of the Bill and Melinda Gates foundation, Bill Gates, the Chairman of the Dangote Foundation, Aliko Dangote have met with the Yobe State Government to appraise the progress made so far in the fight against polio and other  child-killer diseases in the state.

The three parties had in January this year signed a memorandum of understanding, MoU, on strengthening routine immunization in the security threatened north east state of Nigeria.