It is often said that when knowledge is deployed to solve a problem without personal interest taking precedence, the problem is halfway solved. But when personal interests override the common good, they can undermine even the most potent solutions while denying society the opportunity to learn from experience.
That learning process is particularly important in rebuilding the North-East, where more than a decade of insurgency has left deep humanitarian, economic and social scars. The region’s recovery requires not only resources and infrastructure but also the ability of institutions and other actors to examine what has worked, what has failed and what needs to change.
Despite efforts by government authorities, security agencies, humanitarian organisations and development partners, recovery across the six North-East states remains gradual. However, the rebuilding process is underway, and the experience continues to provide lessons for those involved.
For more than a decade, the North-East has been associated with prolonged conflict and humanitarian crisis. The Boko Haram insurgency and its breakaway factions disrupted security, destroyed communities, weakened local economies and displaced millions of people. Farming, trade and other livelihoods that sustained communities were severely affected.
The humanitarian consequences have been enormous. More than 350,000 people have been estimated to have died directly and indirectly from the conflict, while over 2.5 million people were displaced from their homes. At the height of the crisis, about 8.4 million people required humanitarian assistance, with Borno, Adamawa and Yobe bearing much of the devastation.
Ten years into the rebuilding effort, however, the story is no longer exclusively about destruction. It is increasingly also about recovery, institutional development and the lessons emerging from the process.
One of the earliest major federal responses was the establishment of the Presidential Initiative for the North East (PINE) in 2014 by the administration of former President Goodluck Jonathan. The initiative was designed to provide emergency support and position the region for long-term development.
However, concerns about the management and effectiveness of interventions under different programmes reinforced the need for a more permanent institutional framework for reconstruction and development.
The Buhari administration subsequently established the Presidential Committee on the North-East Initiative (PCNI), which paved the way for the creation of the North-East Development Commission (NEDC). The commission was established as a permanent institution with a broad mandate to initiate, coordinate and implement programmes aimed at rebuilding and developing the region.
The NEDC has since become one of the most visible institutions in the reconstruction effort. Its interventions cover infrastructure, education, healthcare, housing, roads, livelihoods and humanitarian support. The commission has also provided relief materials to internally displaced persons and vulnerable communities while supporting agricultural activities through the provision of seeds, fertilisers and farming equipment.
Its interventions in dry-season farming and irrigation are also aimed at helping communities restore food production and livelihoods. Infrastructure projects, including roads, schools, healthcare facilities and water projects, are intended to reconnect communities and support economic activity.
Beyond physical reconstruction, the rebuilding process requires social recovery. Traditional rulers, religious leaders, civil society organisations and community groups have continued to contribute to peacebuilding, reconciliation and youth empowerment.
Another important actor is the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), which has provided humanitarian assistance and coordinated disaster response in affected communities. Its activities have included the distribution of food, medical supplies and other relief materials to displaced persons and victims of insurgency.
NEMA has also worked with humanitarian partners to assess displacement, identify urgent needs and support affected populations in Borno, Adamawa, Yobe and other parts of the North-East.
The Nigerian military remains central to the security component of the recovery process. Since the insurgency began, the military has conducted sustained counter-insurgency operations, reclaimed territories and disrupted insurgent strongholds. It has also worked with neighbouring countries through the Multinational Joint Task Force to address the cross-border nature of the conflict.
Military operations have facilitated the rescue of civilians and the surrender of insurgents, while the acquisition of additional air and other military capabilities has strengthened the fight against insurgent groups.
Foreign partners have also played an important role. Germany, the European Union, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Sweden, the United Nations and the World Bank are among the international partners that have supported humanitarian, recovery and development programmes in the region.
Germany, for instance, has supported resilience programmes implemented by UNICEF and the World Food Programme, focusing on areas including child protection, nutrition, education, water, livelihoods and climate-adaptive food systems.
The United Nations Development Programme has also supported livelihoods and stabilisation efforts, while other UN agencies have implemented programmes aimed at addressing trauma, reintegration and community resilience.
Yet, much of the work on the ground is also being undertaken by Nigerian organisations and community groups. Humanitarian partners provide food, healthcare, water, shelter and education, while local civil society organisations operate in communities that may be difficult for international organisations to access.
Traditional institutions, religious leaders and women’s groups are also playing important roles in mediation, community dialogue and peacebuilding. In some returnee communities, women’s cooperatives have received support to establish small businesses and rebuild livelihoods.
Despite these efforts, the rebuilding of the North-East is far from complete. Poverty, weak infrastructure, unemployment, insecurity and governance challenges continue to affect recovery.
As WFP Country Director David Stevenson noted, food insecurity remains one of the region’s critical challenges, compounded by climate and economic pressures. UNICEF has similarly highlighted the vulnerability of children and women affected by the crisis.
The central lesson from the past decade is that reconstruction cannot be sustained by infrastructure alone. It requires security, effective institutions, accountable management of resources, economic opportunities and continuous learning.
The North-East therefore needs a rebuilding process in which government institutions and development partners regularly assess their interventions, identify failures and replicate what works. Such an approach can help reduce waste and ensure that resources produce lasting benefits for communities.
Ten years after the devastation, the North-East has made progress, but the scale of the remaining challenges demands sustained commitment. The task ahead is not merely to rebuild what was destroyed but to create stronger institutions, resilient communities and economic opportunities capable of preventing a return to the conditions that fuelled the crisis.
The rebuilding of the North-East must therefore remain a shared responsibility. Its success will ultimately be measured not by the number of projects completed, but by whether families can live safely, children can attend school, farmers can return to productive land and communities can regain the confidence to build their future.
Abdulrahman Abu Hamisu