Borno indigenes donate food items to 5,000 IDPs

Some indigenes of Borno state from other parts of the country under the aegis of the Borno Development Foundation (BDF) on Tuesday donated assorted food items to 5,000 Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) in the state.

Head of BDF Palliative Committee, Muhammed Makinta, disclosed this during its inauguration at Muna Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) camp in Maiduguri.

Makinta said that the support which came from indigenes and friends of Borno state living across the country were designed to complement the efforts of the state government in providing livelihood to the displaced persons.

He said that the BDF committee received N37 million, $50,000 and cooking oil worth about N13 million as support for the IDPs.

“We are supporting 5,000 households at the Muna Camp; we are supporting 3,500 households while 1,250 will be distributed in a camp that accommodates indigenes of Southern Borno from the foodstuffs.

“I want to assure his Excellency that this contribution is just the beginning, we will continue to have contributions to support our dear state at this critical time,” he said.

In his remarks, Gov. Babagana Zulum of Borno state expressed his appreciation to the foundation for the donation which he said was aimed at alleviating the sufferings of the Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) and their host communities in the state.

Gov. Zulum said that the gesture, coming from some of the indigenes of the state and their friends living in other parts of the country, was well acknowledged by the government and the people of the state.

He said that the current period calls for collective efforts from the citizens to come together toward moving the state forward as government cannot do it alone.

“The time has gone when indigenes of Borno state were fighting each other. The one million IDPs currently taking refuge at various camps in the state cannot be sustained by government alone,” said Gov. Zulum.

Chairman of the State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA), Hajiya Yabawa Kolo, said that there were no less than 50,000 IDPs currently living in the camp.

She said 70 per cent of them are women and children who depend largely on donations, subsistence farming and daily jobs for survival.

Kolo said that about 7,000 of the women who lost their husbands are currently the heads of their respective households at the camp, noting that the support would provide succour to the affected families.

“The contribution is very commendable from the sons and daughters of Borno state,” she said.