Jutha Gupah, Maiduguri
Governor Kashim Shettima has pledged normalcy in insurgency affected councils; with distribution of relief materials to 58, 285 Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) in Monguno, Borno state. The four councils of Kukawa, Guzamala, Marte and Monguno were last week attacked by Boko Haram insurgents, forcing the displaced persons to flee for at Monguno town. Flagging off the distribution of food and non-food items on Saturday in Monguno, Shettima appealed to IDPs to be patient with the pathetic situation they found themselves of fleeing to resettle in Monguno for safety. He said efforts are being intensified by the Federal and State Governments to restore normalcy in all the insurgency affected council areas. Shettima, who was accompanied by Prof. Babagana Umara Zulum, the gubernatorial candidate of All Progressive Congress (APC), Senators Maina Ma’aji Lawan, Abubakar Kyari Umara and Mohammed Monguno said that 30 truckloads of relief materials are to be distributed to last for two months. According to him, the distributed relief materials comprise 3,200 bags of rice, beans, maize and corn flour, including 1,000 loaves of bread and cooking stoves. “To raise nutritional contents of these food items, 1, 600 gallons and cartons of cooking oil and canned fish are to be distributed on a household IDPs basis,” he said, warning that none of the items to be resold for selfish interest. Shettima added that the accommodation of IDPs in camps and host community has been complemented; with the delivery of bales of mats, blankets and bathroom slippers. He said the relief materials were provided by National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), Presidential Committee on Northeast Imitative (PCNI) and Borno state government. He assured that more additional relief materials will be delivered, following the influx of more IDPs from Baga, Cross Kauwa and neighbouring villages of Monguno. The governor also visited a camp on outskirts of Monguno and distributed relief materials to IDPs from Doro village and Baga town, which were attacked by insurgents last week. The Executive Chairperson of State’s Emergency Management Agency (SEMA) Hajiya Yabawa Kolo disclosed that the primary focus of the agency was the resettlement of new displaced persons from Kukawa Local Government Area. She said about 40 per cent of distributed materials is to be earmarked for newly displaced persons in 12 established camps and people in host community of Monguno.
