By Brenda Agba
The Benue State Governor, Rev Fr Hyacinth Alia, has bewailed the poor living conditions of the Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) across various camps in the state while assuring of his administration’s resolve to return them to their ancestral homes.
Governor Alia made this known during the flag-off of the Benue State Government’s Distribution of Food and Non-Food Items to the IDPs held at the State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA) Office Complex.
Enumerating the challenges being faced by the IDPs to include lack of water, food, shelter and medical facilities among others, the Governor expressed shock over the large number of people in the various camps attributing their situation to man’s heartlessness to a fellow man.
According to him, “I was amazed to discover the number of my fellow brothers and sisters who are suffering what they never bargained for. What brought them to where they are in the IDP Camps is not what they ever thought of in their lives.
“Benue remains a very peaceful place and we can not allow a few ingrates to destroy this image.
“All those in the IDP Camps love their families, their state and what they do on their own farms and it remains my priority to get them back home to their ancestral farm lands and we can never settle for less”.
The governor therefore called on all Benue people to join hands in supporting the government through financial or material contributions towards alleviating their sufferings.
“I know fully well that what we do for now is just a very short term effect that would trigger the long term effect of it all which is to get these people back to their ancestral homes, a function we must never relent on”, he stated.
Speaking on the distribution of the relief materials, the governor directed that the management and staff of SEMA should ensure that they get to those they are meant for.
“The Executive Secretary and staff of SEMA should bear in mind that they are only privileged at this time to serve the state in this capacity and to pay closest attention to these brothers and sisters who need our support most at this time where ever they are, particularly in the IDP Camps”, Alia said.
He expressed appreciation to organisations and individuals who have continued to reach out to the IDPs and prayed God to bless them richly.
Items flagged off for onward distribution to the various IDP Camps included 6000 bags of rice, 7000 bags of beans as well as 8000 cartons of noodles.
Meanwhile, Governor Alia also during the flag-off declared official, all IDP camps hitherto referred to as unofficial.
