As lawmakers donate N31.5m to victims
From Fred Itua, Abuja
Senate, yesterday, resolved to investigate how Intervention Funds released for Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) in the North East states of Adamawa, Borno and Yobe states were disbursed.
Besides, the upper legislative chamber has raised an Ad-Hoc Committee to investigate the insignificant presence of the Ministry of Health in the North-East.
The committee was mandated to report back within two weeks.
In a motion sponsored by Senator Baba Bashir Garbai and 18 others, Senate alleged that over 4.5 million people were in dire need of assistance and added that one million people were in danger of extreme malnutrition.
Garbai noted that “the Presidential initiative on the North-East which was inaugurated by President Buhari a year ago, to manage the crisis, is yet to show tangible result on ground with over half of the money appropriated.
“I am also worried that notwithstanding the huge budgetary allocation by the National Assembly, and the various releases by the Executive, including significant donations from many donors, the situation on ground is not cheering;
“Rather than use the money appropriated for the IDPs and the North-East to ameliorate the problems, the focus of the disbursement, so far made, have been used to feather other interest. Of these are replete in the summary of transactions so far released,” Garbai said.
Alleging that trucks and food items meant for IDPs have been diverted, he said: “There are some allegations of diversion of 63 trucks of grains released from the strategic grains reserve allocated to the IDPs in Borno State by the Federal Government.”
Senate Leader, Ali Ndume begged his colleagues to take a firm position and demand that the right thing be done. He painted a gloomy picture of the humanitarian crisis in the area and wondered why the federal government has refused to intervene.
Ndume said: “I beg you in the name of God to take this motion seriously. Time is not on our side. In Borno, the situation is fair compared to other places. The last time, I tried to go to my local government, I could only access the local government headquarters; I could not access my town.
“The suffering in Borno State is beyond any body’s imagination. Over 100 trucks have been diverted and these trucks were for IDPs….We need to stand up and do the right thing.
“The humanitarian crisis in the North-East is bad. If you go to Maiduguri, you will not see the presence of the federal government. You only see foreign donor agencies.”
Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu, compared the situation in the North-East to post-Nigerian civil war humanitarian crisis in today’s South-East. He said as a witness to the humanitarian crisis, he will support any move to assist the victims.
He said: “I saw the humanitarian crisis in the North-East and I wept. I have been a victim. That was during the Biafran civil war. Then, we were told that the Biafran war was the greatest humanitarian crisis in the world.
“Today, we are being told that the North-East is witnessing the worst humanitarian crisis. Some people are making fortunes from the misfortunes of other Nigerians.”
According to details made available, only about N1 billion has been released by the Federal Government out of the N10 billion budgeted by the National Assembly for resettlement and welfare of IDPs.