To meet the welfare needs of the Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) in camps in the Northeast, the Federal Government, through the Federal Ministry of Health, has declared a nutritional emergency in Borno State.
The move is to mobilise a rapid response team to coordinate efforts to ameliorate the worsening situation in the camps.
This was contained in a statement issued by the Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Laolu Akande, as the Presidency sent a delegation to asses situation in IDP camps in Bama, Borno State.
The delegation, which included senior officials of the Borno State Government, officials of the National Emergency Management Agency, the State Emergency Management Agency, and representatives from the United Nations, was taken round the camp by the Brigade Commander of the 21 Armoured Brigade, Bama, Colonel Adamu Garba Laka, which is home to 25,000 adults and children.
The commander highlighted the challenges faced by the camp, including shortages of medical personnel, shelter, water and sanitation facilities.
The delegation led by the Presidential Special Adviser on Social Investments, Mrs. Maryam Uwais, restated government’s firm commitment to bringing relief to the thousands of recently rescued Boko Haram captives currently hosted in the IDP camp in Bama, Borno State.
“We’re here to see for ourselves the situation on the ground here,” she said.
She commended the military for their gallantry and dedication to securing and caring for the displaced persons.
Noting that it was a crisis situation, she assured that the federal government would work with the state government, international community, local partners and civil society groups to ensure that all the needs of the inhabitants of Bama camp, and the several others like it, are speedily met.
Speaking during the visit, the Borno State Health Commissioner, Dr Haruna Mshelia, said that 1,800 of the most vulnerable persons in the camp had been relocated to Maiduguri for medical attention and specialised feeding, and that the relocation is still ongoing.
He said that a permanent health team had been working in the camp since May 2016, and that the existing team still required a lot of support.
The Senior Special Assistant to the President on IDPs, Dr Mariam Masha, assured that, alongside the humanitarian work, the federal and state governments are also focusing on the longer-term work of ensuring that the reconstruction and resettlement is effectively hastened to enable the IDPs return to their homes and communities, in order to rebuild their lives and livelihoods.
