April 28, (THEWILL) – The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), have trained over 160 Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) in Benue state in different skills acquisition and provided start off kits for them.
SEMA is therefore, housing the starter kits and will ensure that the trained IDPs benefit maximally from the scheme.
Speaking at the distribution of food items by Victims Support Fund (VSF), funded by T.Y. Danjuma Foundation in Makurdi on Tuesday, the Executive Secretary of SEMA, Dr Emanuel Shoot, listed such food items to include rice, beans, indomie, yams and some condiments.
“The VSF have been here before in 2019 and supported in emergency locations, where they put up some structures and also donated other items. They are here today to donate these items to some of our communities beginning from Guma local government area and they have chosen Ortese IDP camp.
“We want to deeply appreciate VSF on behalf of the state government and the IDPs and like Oliver Twist, we are asking that you will bring another round of intervention. We know that you are not only going to be in Ortese, you will visit so many other councils including Logo, Kwande Konshisha, Agatu and others.”
The SEMA Secretary, who appealed to management to convey appreciation to the founder of VSF, however, said the gesture is not enough as what IDPs want is an enduring solution to their situation, which is to return to their ancestral homes.
“We believe that T.Y Danjuma is in a position to interface with the Federal Government to assist the Benue state government to do the needful.”
He also commended other partners including the United State High Commissioner for Refugees, Doctors Without Borders, International Committed for the Red Cross, Community Links, Jireh Doo Foundation, BENGONET, UNDP and many others.
While appealing to the media to continue to assist SEMA to publish the sorry humanitarian situation crisis in the state; pointed out that it is not only human beings that have been devastated, but infrastructure in Benue state have also been affected, such as roads, bridges, markets, schools, farms among others.
He hoped that with consistent publications, the Federal government, the international Community and other partners, the challenge of humanitarian crisis in Benue state will be addressed appropriately.
On recent attacks and killings in Tarka local government area, Dr Shior said displaced people are somewhere and arrangements has been made that part of the food items being distributed will be taken to the IDPs there just like in Kwande Moon community in Kwande local government area.
“It is our intention to extend this intervention to those affected in Umenger, a community in Guma local government area. The implications is that we have an increase in the population of IDPs numbering close to two million as of today”, he said.
