The Nigerian Red Cross Society in furtherance of its commitment to reach out to victims of the brutal conflict in North East, Nigeria, has entered into partnership with the British Red Cross to boost its operations in the country.

In a press statement by the Nigerian society, the British Red Cross is ready and committed to build a firm relationship of transparency and trust and support for their Nigerian counterpart in 2016, specifically in the area of capacity building to meet the monumental humanitarian needs arising from the brutal Boko Haram conflict that has so far displaced millions and killed tens of thousands of people in the Lake Chad region.

Speaking during an organisational development round table meeting in Abuja, the head of West and Central Africa regions for the British Red Cross, Alex Carle said, “the Nigerian Red Cross Society has remained the lead humanitarian agency responding to the aftermath of insurgency, communal clashes and other disasters in Nigeria and therefore need support to manage more.”

The British Red Cross informed participants at the meeting that “many more partners were ready to partner with the Nigerian Red Cross Society in providing the desperately needed aid in Nigeria.”
The National President of the Nigerian Red Cross Society, Bolaji Anani Akpan, had assured partners that the Nigerian Red Cross was ready to “work hard and earn their trust by being transparent in her relations with the partners and the beneficiaries”.

The head of the Africa desk of the International Committee of Red Cross (ICRC), Baptiste Rolle noted that the NRCS is working in the right direction with a strong commitment to reinforce its capacity and function, “but the path is still long and there is a lot to be done to make the Nigerian Society a stronger humanitarian organisation.”