From Timothy Olanrewaju, Maiduguri
Saudi’s King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Centre and the Presidential Committee on Flood Relief and Rehabilitation known as Dangote Committee, have delivered tons of food items, household goods and building materials to the Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) in Borno State.
Representative of the Saudi aid agency in Nigeria, Al-Yuosuf Abdulkarim, while handing over the relief at El-Misky IDPs camp in Maiduguri on Tuesday, said it was support for the poor.
“This is a support for the poor people affected by the violence and flood in Borno,” the Salman rep said.
The Director General, National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), Alhaji Mustapha Ahmed, said the agency, said the relief donated by Saudi and Dangote Committee, was meant to support those affected by both insurgency and flood disasters in Borno.
“The relief items are meant to support Nigerians affected by both insurgency as well as those impacted by the 2022 flood disaster in Borno State,” he disclosed.
He said that the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and her people remain Nigeria’s allies due to their empathy for Nigerians during a crisis period.
He said that 16,000 food baskets were among the donations to cater for 16, 000 households in Borno. Others include building materials, household needs, food items among others.
Borno State governor, Babagana Zulum thanked King Salman Humanitarian and Relief Centre and the Presidential Committee for their support.
He said the relief came at the right time. He assured the relief will be distributed equitably. He said it was the second time King Salman Relief Centre is giving such an intervention following the first support in 2018.
He warned state officials who will be involved in the distribution of the relief to the people against diversion.
“We will not allow unequal distributions of this relief under my watch,” he declared.
About 1.8 million people out of the estimated three million displaced person’s in the 13 years of Boko Haram violence, are from Borno according to a report by the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.