Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator of the organisation, Mark Lowcock, said the office was rehabilitated by the Nigeria Government during the official handover of the UN House in Abuja.
The United Nations on Thursday reopened its office in Abuja eight years after terrorists attacked the facility and killed 23 people.
Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator of the organisation, Mark Lowcock, said the office was rehabilitated by the Nigeria Government during the official handover of the UN House in Abuja.
He said, “The Nigerian Government handing over this building to the UN is a symbol of our shared commitment to continue supporting the people and Government of Nigeria.
“The reopening of the UN House in Abuja demonstrates our collective commitment to continue addressing the complex challenges facing Nigeria, West Africa and the whole world.
"On August 26, 2011, 23 people including UN staff and Nigerian civilians died in a suicide car bombing at the UN House in Abuja.
“This was the first attack against a UN facility in Nigeria.
“Nigeria has been a key actor since it became a member of the United Nations in 1960, only eight days after its independence.”
During his two-day visit to Nigeria, Lowcock also discussed the humanitarian situation in the North-Eastern states of Borno, Adamawa and Yobe.
The United Nations and its humanitarian partners in support of the Government of Nigeria are working together to provide assistance to reach 6.2 million people in these states.