The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) says the Saudi Arabia-based King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Centre has donated food items to 8,725 households of the Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) in Zamfara.
Retired AVM Muhammadu Muhammed, the Director-General of the agency announced this on Saturday in a statement after the inauguration of the distribution of the items to the IDPs in Gusau.
Represented by the Deputy Director of Planning, Hajiya Fatima Kasim, the director-general said that the donation was worth 1,1 million dollars.
He added that the items were delivered through NEMA for the 8,725 IDP households in Zamfara.
“Each household will receive a package weighing 59.8kg; comprising rice, beans and a condiment of tomato paste, seasoning cubes, cooking oil, salt and masa flour.
“The donation by the King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Centre was in response to need to complement the efforts of the Federal and Zamfara Government to support the IDPs following activities of bandits that have resulted in large scale displacement and humanitarian crisis.
“The donors expect the items to immediately reach the beneficiaries across the state to give them some relief in this fasting period,” he added.
He further explained that the food items would be distributed directly to the IDPs at their various camps and temporary places of abode by staff of NEMA and the state emergency management agency.
In his response, Gov. Bello Muhammad of Zamfara, who was represented by the Commissioner for Humanitarian Affairs and Disaster Management Hajiya Faika Ahmed, thanked the Saudi Arabian Humanitarian Agency and NEMA for the gesture.
“In Zamfara, our humanitarian crises are in two fold, armed banditry and natural disasters which have displaced hundreds and thousands of innocent people as well as destroyed many farmlands and foodstuffs.
“We are really grateful for this donation but we are also asking for more from the centre, federal government, groups and individuals for us to address the challenges which fate has put on the citizens,” he said.(NAN)
