The Federal Government has commenced the delivery of 40,000 metric tonnes of food to Nigeria’s North East region.
The government explained that the development is aimed at reducing the rate of hunger among the Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) in the region as a result of the Boko Haram insurgency.
The Minister of State for Budget and National Planning, Zainab Ahmed said the government would henceforth deliver food to the doorsteps of the IDPs on a quarterly basis, as a measure to fight hunger among the less privileged.
She hinted that the IDPs were being enumerated ahead of the distribution which is due to commence in the next one week.
The minister was briefing reporters in Yobe State where she led a delegation on an inspection visit to the warehouses in the state where the grains (food) are kept.
She expressed delight at the movement of the grains ahead of the distribution and thanked security agencies and other stakeholders for their various roles in delivering the food ahead of distribution.
Addressing some displaced people, Mrs Ahmed assured them that they would be enumerated, stressing that no one would be left out in the distribution exercise as Yobe State would receive 2,300 trucks of grains.
The Deputy Director, Search and Rescue of the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), Dr. Onimode Bandele told the minister that the state has taken delivery of 50 trucks of food ahead of the distribution.
He added that Damaturu and Nguru Local Government Areas (LGAs) have received 25 trucks each while they were still receiving that of Potiskum, Machina and Fune among others.
Bandele said enumeration has been concluded in some LGAs but ongoing in others and expressed hope that it would be completed soon ahead of the distribution.
