It is no longer a secret to Nigerians and the international community that the lingering Boko Haram insurgency in Nigeria’s North-East has dented the country’s image in global affairs. The conflict has claimed the lives of thousands of innocent people, destroyed critical infrastructure and crippled economic activities across the six states in the region. Although the insurgency has not been completely subdued, attention at home and abroad is now increasingly focused on how to stabilise and rebuild a region that has suffered not only from years of insurgency but also from decades of neglect, abuse of public trust and corruption. Institutions, it is often said, do not fail on their own; values too remain intact until they are abused. When people speak about the collapse of governance, governance itself does not collapse. Rather, it is weakened by negative human actions, particularly corruption. Consequently, good governance produces positive outcomes, while bad governance inevitably leads to underdevelopment. While discussions in recent weeks have centred on promises, realities and human capital development in the North-East, the issue of recovery and peacebuilding—which remains a long and difficult journey—has taken centre stage. Since 2009, violent attacks by Boko Haram have left widespread devastation across the North-East. The destruction has compounded the effects of years of neglect, corruption and abuse of office, all of which contributed to weakening governance structures in many states across the region. The insurgency further deepened existing development challenges in a region already characterised by poverty, weak governance, poor social and economic outcomes, inequality, perceived social injustice, low accountability, fragile state institutions, inadequate infrastructure, climate change and environmental degradation. Against this backdrop, several recovery frameworks have been developed, including the Recovery and Peace Building Assessment (RPBA), the Buhari Plan, the Revised Buhari Plan and the North-East Stabilisation and Development Master Plan. Together, these initiatives provide a coordinated framework to support conflict-affected communities across Borno, Yobe, Adamawa, Gombe, Taraba and Bauchi states. The RPBA recognises that achieving lasting peace requires addressing not only the consequences of the insurgency but also the structural and underlying causes of conflict. It therefore provides an overarching framework for stability, peacebuilding and long-term recovery across the region. The Humanitarian Response Plan for 2016 requested $248 million to support conflict-affected populations, although only eight per cent of the funding requirement had been met as of March 5, 2016. More than 60 humanitarian partners provided assistance ranging from food, water, sanitation and healthcare to shelter, education, protection services and livelihood support. National civil society organisations and local NGOs also played significant roles, particularly in areas inaccessible to international agencies. On August 21, 2015, the federal government requested support from the European Union, the United Nations and the World Bank to assess peacebuilding and recovery needs in the North-East. The assessment, conducted under the 2008 Joint EU-UN-World Bank Declaration on Crisis Assessment and Recovery Planning, culminated in a workshop held in Abuja in January 2016 with over 250 participants representing federal and state governments, development partners, civil society organisations and internally displaced persons. At the onset of the crisis, the government’s response focused largely on security operations and humanitarian interventions. Long-term development projects received limited attention, largely because of the severity of the insurgency and the urgent humanitarian needs created by the conflict. Former President Goodluck Jonathan established the Presidential Initiative for the North East (PINE) in 2014 to provide emergency assistance, mobilise resources for economic recovery and lay the foundation for long-term regional development. The administration of former President Muhammadu Buhari intensified military operations against Boko Haram while reviewing existing intervention mechanisms. This eventually led to the establishment of the North East Development Commission (NEDC), which was mandated to assess the region, develop a comprehensive master plan and coordinate reconstruction and development efforts. As both a coordinating and development institution, the NEDC was designed to integrate humanitarian response, peacebuilding, stabilisation and long-term development. Buhari’s administration also introduced a comprehensive recovery framework aimed at addressing the humanitarian and economic consequences of the insurgency. However, despite these interventions, it cannot be said that all the objectives have been fully realised. Many communities across the North-East continue to g
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