1M Nigerian children separated from parents: President

By Rafiu Ajakaye</p> <p>LAGOS, Nigeria (AA) – At least 1 million Nigerian children have been forcefully separated from their parents as a result of Boko Haram violence, President Muhammadu Buhari said Tuesday.</p> <p>&quot;We have at least a million children who neither know their parents nor where they come from,” Buhari said in a meeting with visiting United Nations General Assembly President Maria Garces in the Nigerian capital, Abuja. </p> <p>Buhari said the insurgency in the region has triggered a humanitarian crisis and the collapse of public infrastructure which he sought international support to rebuild.</p> <p>The president said half of the 30 million people affected by the drying up of Lake Chad are in Nigeria, seeking global support to revitalize the Lake.</p> <p>“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,&quot; he said. &quot;The condition of internally displaced persons in the country is pathetic.&quot;</p> <p>Garces is on a one-day working visit to Nigeria.</p> <p>She said Nigeria has been a major supporter of the UN and pledged to raise global support for the “disturbing effects” of climate change on the Lake Chad region.</p> <p>She also praised Nigeria's roles in peacekeeping operation and rising its commitment to human rights advocacy.</p> <p>