July 28, (THEWILL) – Governor Hyacinth Alia of Benue State has assured of his administration’s readiness to return the Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) to their ancestral homes, even as he described the Benue State Emergency Management Agency (BSEMA) during the immediate past administration as a mirage.
Governor Alia, who made the assertion while flagging off the distribution of food and non-food items for various Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) in Makurdi, on Thursday, also declared all the unofficial IDP camps official and charged SEMA to ensure the security of their lives and property.
He added that his administration would make food, water and health care available to all persons of concern in the State.
He reinstated his administration’s commitment to make Benue State a liveable place as well as attract development and charge members of the public to also assist the security personnel to fish out criminals, insisting that Benue State, under his watch, will not allow ingrates to destroy the image of the State.
While decrying the poor living condition of the IDPs caused by heartless fellow men during his recent tour to camps in the company of the United Nations team, the Governor promised to find a lasting solution to the problem.
On SEMA’s mandate, Governor Alia said he was bitter about the development in the Agency a few weeks after he took over the mantle of leadership in the State, which is why he appointed Dr James Iorpuu as the Acting Executive Secretary of SEMA to coordinate and tackle humanitarian challenges.
He insists that the Agency must judiciously carry out its mandate and ensure that items meant for persons of concern are judiciously and fairly distributed to them, even as he charged security personnel to arrest any persons caught diverting any item meant for the IDPs in the State.
Governor Alia commended all humanitarian partners supporting the IDPs and invited the international and domestic partners as well as SEMA staff to render their selfless service and contribute meaningfully to the return process of the IDPs to their ancestral homes.
Earlier, the Acting Executive Secretary of the Benue State Emergency Management Agency (BSEMA), James Iorpuu, described the Governor’s presence at the event as the first to flag off the distribution of relief materials under his administration to persons of concern.
According to him, the distribution of food items would cover the nine official and the five unofficial camps in the State as approved by the Governor.
He lauded the Governor’s commitment to the welfare of the IDPs, assuring that the food and non-food materials would be distributed judiciously.
While highlighting some of his achievements within the short time he assumed office, Iorpuu said the Agency has been repositioned through the recruitment of capable hands and the creation of more departments including planning, research and statistics, administration, rescue and rehabilitation.
He also commended National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), Engr. (Dr.) Chief Sylvanus Ghasarah and the Nigeria Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) for supporting the persons of concern.
According to him, on assumption of duty, he launched a website for the Agency to facilitate humanitarian actors and spirited individuals to intervene in various areas of interest.
On the Technical Committee on the 2023 flood, the SEMA Acting Executive Secretary said the report of the Committee is ready and would be presented to the Governor at the appropriate time.
Items distributed include 2,900 bags of rice, 2,796 bags of soya beans, 1,396 bags of Gari among others, 8,000 cartons of noodles, red oil, curry maggi, salt, groundnut oil and sugar among others.
