The National Commission for Refugees, Migrants and Internally Displaced Persons has flag off humanitarian support Programme to the Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) in Yobe State, north east Nigeria.
The Federal Commissioner of the agency, Mrs Sadiya Umar-Farouck, flagged off the programme in Damaturu the state’s capital on Wednesday.
She says the first phase will include supply of both food and non-food items to the IDPs in the affected area.
The supply is coming at a time that UN agencies have raised concerns over severe cases of malnutrition in the region triggered by insurgency that has left the northeast region devastated.
UNICEF said getting ‘nutritious food’ items to the region had been hampered by activities of Boko Haram terrorists and even counter-terrorism operations in the area.
In the last few weeks, however, the IDPs in Damaturu have continue to receive assistance of food and non-food items from philanthropies, government, non-governmental organisations and spirited individuals across the country and beyond.
This time it is the National Commission for Refugees, Migrants and IDPs that have brought succour to the displaced.
While kick-starting the distribution of the relief materials to the IDPs at the Pompomari Camp in Damaturu, Mrs Sadiya Umar-Farouck, said that the first phase would be distribution of food and non-food items while the second phase would focus on durable solutions that would make the return of the IDPS a memorable one.
The state governor, Ibrahim Gaidam, represented by his Deputy and Chairman of the Rehabilitation, Reconstruction and Relocation of IDPs in the state, Mr Abubakar Aliyu, called for more assistance to the remaining IDPs still taking refuge at the Pompomari Camp.
He revealed that 2,500 IDPs were currently taking refuge at the Damaturu official camp, as many more have returned to their ancestral homes sequel to the return of peace in some affected areas.
“The need for more assistance to the IDPs became necessary, as all those at the camp and the returnees have not engaged themselves in meaningful means of livelihood for several years.
“The Yobe State Government has carried out lots of reconstruction and rehabilitation works to improve the lives of the IDPs and we appreciate the efforts of the government, philanthropists, NGOs and other spirited individuals for the untiring support to the displaced,” he told the gathering.
Assistance received from the various philanthropists have been shared to the IDPs in the official camp in Damaturu and to those who have returned to their ancestral homes.
The idea is to support them as they strive to lay a foundation for their means of livelihood that had been taken away by over seven years of insurgency in the region.
Over two million persons have been displaced in the region while over six million are in dire need of humanitarian aid, as the northeast region had been cut out of food supplies in the heat of insurgency.
Boko Haram, a terrorists group, had, within the last seven years, pushed for the establishment of an Islamic state and an end to Western education in the region.
