Information Officer of the Benue State Emergency Management Agency, Terna Ager, on Wednesday told Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) that the N1 billion pledge by Senator Oluremi Tinubu is not meant for food distribution.
Recall that on Tuesday, the president’s wife visited Benue and presented N1 billion cheque to Governor Hyacinth Alia on behalf of the IDPs.
But barely 24 hours after the gesture, some of the IDPs took to the streets to protest hunger and alleged maltreatment at their camps.
The protesting IDPs blocked the Makurdi-Lafia highway chanting slogans such as “We want to go back home,” “We are hungry,” and “Our women are losing their babies and pregnancies”.
One of the IDPs, Rebecca Awuse, told journalists, “We are hungry. We have no food, no shelter, and no medical care. Our children are crying from hunger.
“Many pregnant women have lost their pregnancies because of hunger and lack of treatment. They sleep on bare floors with no hospital or antenatal care. There are no drugs or health professionals at the camp.”
In a swift response, Ager said the protest was politically motivated.
He said, “There is no situation at the camps that warrants such a protest. The government is providing food. Those at the Yelwata camp often move to the International Market camp in Makurdi because more food donations are coming in there.
“The First Lady’s N1 billion pledge is for resettlement, not for immediate food distribution… the disbursement processes take time.
“They are protesting because they believe the money should be shared among them, but that’s not the purpose.”
