Dauda R PamMaiduguri
About N200m cash and over 50 trucks of food and non-good items have been distributed to over 80,000 internally displaced persons (IDPs) taking refuge at the 17 camps and host community in Monguno.
Flagging off the distribution exercise in Monguno, Tuesday, Governor Babagana Umara Zulum,said the exercise became imperative for the government to assist the IDPs having been bared by the military from going to their farmlands, as a result of insurgency, thereby exposing them to food scarcity for several years now.
He distributed about N5000 cash to over 50,000 female IDPs estimated to a total of N200m apart from food and non food items,to communities from Kukawa, Marte, Guzamala, Nganzai and Monguno as well as host communities in Monguno town.
Hear him “We have to come to your aid to assist you, support you with the little we have to alleviate your sufferings before we resettle you back in your ancestral homes.
“We will continue to assist you, renovate all your houses, provide infrastructures and even construct new 1000 houses, a new befitting general hospital, vocational training centre, for about 10,000 unemployed youths.
“We will also build a higher Islamic school for you as well as open the day secondary school for your children among other projects.”, Zulum said.
According to him, the projects will all be constructed within a period of 3-6 months.
“We are going to empower the youths and women to become self-reliant and employers of labour. Therefore, I urge you to continue to pray for peace and stability of the state, be patient and prayerful for the Insurgency to come to an end” Zulum added.
Food and non-food .items distributed include rice, beans, flour maize, spaghetti, vegetable oil, wrappers, blankets and cash and assured the people of Abadam and Marte LGAs that roads linking their localities will be re-opened soon as negotiations and efforts were ongoing.
Earlier, the governor had stopped over at Gajiram town of Nganzai LGA to inspect buildings set ablaze by the Boko Haram insurgents early this year where they burnt down Gajiram Police Station, LGC Secretariat, Government Lodge and District Head of Gajiram palace among others.
He directed the State. Commissioner of Reconstruction, Rehabilitation and Resettlement RRR, Engineer Mustapha Gubio, to carry out renovation of the structures and ensure its completion within 3 months while directing the LGC to relocate to Gajiram.
At Gajiram, while addressing the people, he called on the people to continue to exercise some restraint and bear with the state government for now on the issue of relief materials distribution as he has plans to revisit them in few months time to fulfil his pledges.
