We’ve committed $350,000 on humanitarian aids in Benue — ActionAid Nigeria

A Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) known as  ActionAid Nigeria and Partners said it has committed a whooping sum of 350,000 US Dollars (about N350 million) intervention into the humanitarian crisis in Benue State.

Some of the areas the organization had intervened include; cash assistance, distribution of non-food items, dignity kits for women and girls as well as medical outreach programmes.

The organization which held a press conference in Makurdi on recurring floods in Benue State predicted heavy flooding in the coming raining season and called on the government at all levels to make plans for tackling flooding as they prepare next year’s budget.

The Humanitarian and Resilience Manager of ActionAid, David Habba, stated this while fielding questions from journalists during a press conference held in Makurdi on Friday.

Habba, who represented the Country Director of the organization, Andrew Mamedu, appreciated the declaration of state of emergency on the humanitarian crisis in Benue State by the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, Dr Betta Edu, calling for multi-stakeholder coordination mechanism to ensure effective implementation of flood response policies, frameworks and action plans across the country.

He also called for dedicated funding for flood management, this he said, “crucial for the government to allocate specific funding for flood response management with a significant portion drawn from the Ecological Fund.

“This dedicated funding will enable a more focused and efficient response to the immediate needs of affected communities and contribute to long term resilience-building efforts.

Asked to quantify in monetary terms the intervention of the organization in some communities in Benue State in the past six months.

Habba said, “This organization has invested 350,000 US dollars (about N350 million) intervention, particularly in medical outreach to some communities in the state.”

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