IDPs
By TYAV SAM TYAV, Makurdi –
In Benue State, a total of 179,975 Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) have been registered and are currently receiving support from both the government and development partners. This support aims to provide hope and assist them in rebuilding their lives.
Additionally, the state government has allocated land for the construction of 4,000 emergency shelters, which will serve as a resettlement solution for the IDPs currently living in camps within the state.
The Director General, Benue State Bureau for International Cooperation and Development, Mr Aondoaseer Leonard-Angelo Viashima disclosed this during this year’s World Humanitarian Day.
A statement by the Principal Special Assistant (PSA) to the Governor on Media and Communication Strategy, Bridget Tikyaa, said the state is also hosting 9,318 Cameroonian refugees displaced from the anglophone part of the country.
According to the statement, there has been a strong bond between the state government and relevant humanitarian organisations such as the International Organisation on Migration, UNICEF, UNHCR, and NCFRMI.
The DG, the statement continued, that this day was set aside to appraise the difficulties of the most vulnerable men, women, and children displaced in camps and host communities, listen to their heartbreaking stories, so as to continue to support them as they transit to stabilisation and full recovery.
The PSA also noted in the statement that the day is also an opportunity for everyone to renew their commitment to alleviating the suffering of IDPs and other vulnerable people, including women and children.
The DG, the statement added, that recalled that IOM has since 2016 being engaged “through one of our tools, Displacement Tracking Matrix (DTM),” which in August 2023, in collaboration with BSEMA, UNHCR, NCFRMI, facilitated the biometric registration of IDPs in Benue state, of which so far, 179,975 IDPs residing in camps and host communities across six Local Government Areas were documented.
He noted that not all the IDPs were covered, but the effort has provided verifiable data for government and humanitarian organisations, as progress continues in coordination with SEMA to reach the remaining IDPs in the state.
“Through the process, gaps identified went beyond just providing aid; but restoring hope, rebuilding lives, and supporting those who have been most affected. Most of them are women, children, and the elderly. They have been living in the IDP camps of Benue state since their displacement and are solely dependent on humanitarian aid for food, shelter, and clothing.
“In the camps, IOM has been and is working tirelessly to provide support where it is most needed. We have distributed 12,000 hygiene kits and over 2,300 non-food items to displaced families across 10 camps. Our water, sanitation, and hygiene team has rehabilitated the water tanks in Baka Camp and is currently constructing a four-kilometre water pipeline and constructing a treatment plant to end decades of water scarcity in Ortese
“From protection to shelter construction and site improvements, we are ensuring that families have the essentials to survive and maintain their dignity during these challenging times.”
The IOM, the DG revealed has gone beyond humanitarian intervention, by localizing operations through the recruitment of indigenous people to support humanitarian activities in Benue State.
He noted that “from the protection to shelter construction and site improvements, we are ensuring that families have the essentials to survive and maintain their dignity during these challenging times.”
He informed that the IOM has gone beyond humanitarian intervention, by localizing operations through the recruitment of indigenous people to support humanitarian activities in Benue State.
“Today IOM employees 99 staff of which 80% are indigenous. The cars we are hiring for all our movements, as of the first of August, we are using a local vendor from Benue. “
He said since 2017, UNHCR has been providing protection services in Benue, including monitoring, facilitating access to justice, collaborating with partners like the Nigerian Red Cross Society, Save the Children International, Rhemacare, and the Betty Anyanwu-Akeredolu Foundation to provide health care, education, water and sanitation.
“In July 2024, 32,439 IDPs received core relief items, and 3,000 women and girls received dignity kits among other support that our sister, UNHCR, provided”.
