ABUJA, May 7 (Xinhua) -- Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari Tuesday launched a revised appeal to the United Nations and the international community to help address devastation brought about by the persistent Boko Haram insurgency.
Speaking during a meeting with visiting President of the 73rd Session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), Maria Fernanda Espinosa in Abuja, the Nigerian leader said the condition of internally displaced persons ((IDPs) in the country is pathetic.
"We have at least a million children who neither know their parents, nor where they come from," he added.
Buhari told his guest that Boko Haram insurgency's damage to infrastructure, particularly in the northeast, has been horrendous, noting that bridges have been blown up, schools, hospitals, churches, mosques, and other buildings have been destroyed.
"All these will be rehabilitated, and every form of international help is welcome," he said.
The UNGA president commended Nigeria for being a key part of the United Nations system, saying the country was well respected in the global body.
"Nigeria is a major contributor to peace keeping operations, and a major part of the human rights architecture," Espinosa said.
She pledged to call for the attention of the international community to the "hurting effects" of the Lake Chad problem, and other issues raised by the Nigerian leader.
Boko Haram's militancy has killed about 20,000 people since 2009 and left over 2.6 million homeless.
The extremist group, which is also active in Chad, Niger and northern Cameroon, announced its allegiance to the Islamic State group in 2015.
