The Justice Development and Peace Commission (JDPC) of the Catholic Archdiocese of Jos has donated foodstuff to 519 families displaced by the recent attacks in Miango chiefdom of Bassa Local Government Area of Plateau.
Presenting the items to the beneficiaries on Friday in Miango, Benedicta Daber, the Coordinator of the organisation, said the gesture aimed at cushioning the hardships occasioned by the insecurity in the area.Daber explained that the gesture was in collaboration with the Menonite Central Committee (MCC), an international organisation.She said the support was designed to come to the beneficiaries in three phases.The coordinator said the gesture was to indentify with the criss victims in their difficult times.“We are here today first to identify with the people over the revent happenings that has displaced all of you gathered here.“When we heard of the unfortunate incident, we went round to seek for support in order to come to your aid, and that is why we are doing this in collaboration with MCC.“This assistance will come to you in three folds; during the first distribution, we brought some household items, today we have come with basically foodstuff.“We know that your houses were destroyed and you will want to rebuild them, but we thought that one must eat first before any other thing.“
So, today, 519 households will benefit from this little support that we have come with and it is our hope that it will serve its purpose,”the coordinator said.She said the last tranche of the distribution would hold soon, and advised the beneficiaries to share what they were given with others.In his remarks, Most Rev. Mathew Audu, the Catholic Archbishop of Jos, advised the people to be prayerful and never lose sight of God amid their current challenges.Represented by Rev. Fr. Polycarp Gana, Audu also advised the people to desist from carrying out reprisal attacks and urged them to live in peace with their neighbours.“
We are here to identify with you because we believe your problems are our problems as well.“But I want to strongly advice that you don’t carry out reprisal attacks; you must learn to forgive and forget.“
You must love your neighbours unconditionally, devoid of tribal or religious affiliation,”Audu advised.Speaking on behalf of the beneficiaries, Mr Apa Dodu, the Village Head of Jebbu Miango, thanked the JDPC and the entire Catholic community in Jos for the gesture.
A beneficiary, Mrs Grace Yakubu, also thanked the donors for the gesture, adding that it would a long way in alleviating their sufferings and that of other beneficiaries.The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that some of the items donated include bags of maize, beans, rice, salt and gallons of palm oil (NAN)