The Benue State Government, through the State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA), on Thursday distributed essential food commodities to address immediate nutritional needs, as well as non-food items aimed at improving living conditions in camps and host communities. The items distributed include 4,155 bags of rice (25kg), 760 bags of beans (25kg), 5,550 bags of garri, 117 bags of sugar, 32 cartons of maggi seasoning, 19 bags of salt, 768 cartons of indomie noodles, 142 gallons of palm oil, and 40 gallons of groundnut oil, among many other items.
Speaking during the distribution at the Agency’s headquarters in Makurdi, the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Humanitarian and Disaster Management/BSEMA, Dr. James Iorpuu, said, “This intervention is not merely about distributing relief materials. It is about hope, reaffirming dignity, and demonstrating that the government remains responsive to the needs of its people, especially the most vulnerable among us.”
The BSEMA boss commended the efforts of the Executive Governor of Benue State, Rev. Fr. Dr. Hyacinth Iormem Alia, for his unwavering dedication to addressing the challenges faced by the IDPs. “Under his purposeful and compassionate leadership, the Benue State Government has continued to prioritize humanitarian responses, safe return, and sustainable resettlement, as reflected in today’s exercise,” he said.
He assured that the distribution process is guided by transparency, accountability, and fairness, and appreciated humanitarian partners, security agencies, community leaders, camp officials, and dedicated staff of Benue SEMA who have worked tirelessly to make the exercise possible.
The Permanent Secretary also used the opportunity to pray for the souls of those who lost their lives in recent attacks on Abande community, Turan in Kwande Local Government, and Entekpa community, Adoka in Otukpo Local Government Areas, both in Benue State, and commiserated with their families.
He also disclosed that IDPs in some places, such as Tatyough, Hiinyam, Naka, and Agagbe, among others, had willingly returned to their ancestral homes, and an assessment is ongoing to ascertain the actual number of returnees.
Additionally, he announced that the state government has increased the provision of relief materials to the vulnerable and displaced population, hence the expansion of the intervention to reach out to newly identified places, including Adaka, Gwer East, School of Special Needs in Vandeikya, and Rehabilitation Home in Apir, among many other areas that were not being reached in the past.
