FG not paying enough attention to humanitarian crisis in Benue ― SEMA

Executive Secretary of Benue State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA), Dr Emmanuel Shior on Thursday accused the Federal government of not paying enough attention to the humanitarian crisis in the state.

Shior stated this during the distribution of food and non-food items to displaced persons scattered across the state.

He lamented that the federal government had paid more attention to the humanitarian crisis in the North East than Benue despite having similar challenges.

According to him, “Federal government has not paid attention to the challenges of IDP in Benue State, whereas, the humanitarian crisis in Benue is similar to the challenges of IDP in the North East.

“But so much attention has been paid to North-East by the federal government and majority of the international partners that are in Nigeria to assist federal and state governments to address these challenges have been directed to pay more attention to the North East that is why you don’t see some of them here,” SEMA boss said.

Shior said that of the food items such as; (beans, rice, noodles and yam) that were distributed to displaced persons on Thursday, the federal government through the National Emergency Management Agency only gave 1,000 cartoons of canned beef to the state.

Each of the cartoons, according to him has 24 cans, asked rhetorically, “how will this serve over 1.5 million displaced persons we have.”

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The SEMA boss also said that eighty per cent of children of displaced persons in the state are out of school.

This he said was due to the constant herdsmen attacks on communities leading to the continuous stay of displaced persons in camps.

To cater for the children of displaced persons, Shior said that the state government established emergency schools but such schools could only accommodate 20 per cent of the children of displaced persons.

He further said that several communities in Guma, Logo, Okpokwu, Kwande, Agatu and other council areas have their schools shut down as a result of incessant herdsmen attacks.

“We have so many communities in the state where schools are not in session in fact all some communities in Guma LG were deserted except that our people are strong and don’t fear death so they still return to the communities but not safe for children so in many communities children are not there.

“Though,we have emergency schools in a few areas like Abagena and Daudu but locations such as Torkula and some other parts of Guma, Logo, Agatu, Okpokwu, Kwande and some other places, schools are not in session.

“To talk of the percentage of children in school out of school in the state, only 20 per cent of children are in school with the arrangements of emergency schools,” Shior said.

Johnson Babajide