The North East Development Commission (NEDC) has taken over from the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) the responsibilities of routine food distribution to Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) living in designated camps, host and liberated communities in Borno and Adamawa State.
According to a press release on Tuesday, 8th November 2022 signed by the NEMA Head of Press Unit, Manzo Ezekiel, he said that following this development, Director General NEMA Mustapha Habib Ahmed led the management of the Agency to the NEDC Abuja Liaison Office on a working visit where he appreciated the takeover of the routine feeding of the IDPs.
He said, “I wish to express my sincere appreciation and gratitude to the Managing Director NEDC over his pledge on 16th October 2022 at the Conference Room of the Federal Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs Disaster Management and Social Development to take over the feeding of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) in camps and host communities hitherto being provided with a daily ration of food and non-food items by the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) in Maiduguri and Yola in Borno and Adamawa states respectively.”
“This gracious takeover of NEMA routine intervention by the NEDC will decouple the resources deployed and grant us the impetus to further deliver relief support to persons in need in the event of sudden onset disasters nationwide including in the North East region.”
Despite the takeover, he said NEMA will continue to provide relief assistance to impacted communities in the North East region whenever sudden onset disasters hit, adding that the Agency would be “ready always to work with the NEDC in areas of relief support, damage and loss assessment and capacity for staff members in consideration of the strong operational and service delivery commonality between our two sister agencies.”
Reviewing the present situation, he explained that NEMA has over the years since the escalation of the Boko Haram crisis provided feeding to IDPs living in camps in Madinatu, Muna Garage, Customs House, Goni Kachallari and Shuwari IDP camps in Maiduguri Metropolis in addition to several other host communities. Also, in the same vein in Adamawa state, NEMA has been providing feeding to the IDPs located in Fufore, Malkohi, and St. Theresa IDP camps in addition to other displaced families living amongst host families.
“This is in addition to the provision of household items, hygiene materials, clothing, and other items that ensures minimal comfort to the teaming IDPs that constitute our innocent brothers and sisters that were caught up in the web of crisis, lost their homes, their dignity and basic family comfort,” he added.
The NEMA DG Mustapha Habib Ahmed further provided statistics on the IDPs that are being fed by the Agency saying, “according to records from the NEMA Zonal Office in Maiduguri and the Yola Operational Office of the Agency, as of the end of September 2022, NEMA is providing daily feeding to 149,448 persons comprising of 24,908 Households in Maiduguri. At the same time in Yola, Adamawa state, NEMA is feeding 19,626 comprising of 2,992 Households in the camps earlier enumerated.”
He also explained that the shifts in the routine feeding of the IDPs to the NEDC were occasioned by dwindling resources at the disposal of the Agency and in consideration of several other sudden onset disasters nationwide.
“This daily feeding through the monthly distribution of assorted food items to support the state governments has been sustained by NEMA despite the dwindling resources at the disposal of the Agency and in consideration of several other sudden onset disasters nationwide. We have sustained this intervention in line with the humanitarian principles of humanity, neutrality, and impartiality and of course in conformity with our mandate of helping distressed Nigerians,” he said.
Responding, the Managing Director of NEDC Alhaji Mohammed Alkali said the decision to take over the routine food distribution and feeding in the IDPs camps would help eliminate duplication of efforts and allow for scarce resources to be deployed in other areas to assist Nigerians in distress.
He described the new development as a positive beginning that has unfolded a new vista of partnership and collaboration between NEMA and NEDC for the benefit of Nigerians.
