Categories: News

Dogara Redeems Pledge, Donates Relief Materials To IDPs

Representative of the Speaker, House of Representatives and Chairman, House committee on IDPs, Refugees & North-East Initiatives, Hon. Sani Zoro(3rd right),presenting relief Materials to Chairman, Karmajiji,IDPs Camp in the FCT, Mohammed Abubakar(3rd left),Secretary,Diretorate of Health Services,National Assembly,Dr. Eme Moma Efretuei(left),Ag.Director,Public Health,Dr. Alkali Umar(2nd right)and Representatives of the Clerk House of Representatives, Paul Adiwu, when the Committee delivered the relief materials to Karmajiji IDPs Camp in Abuja, at the weekend, Photo: Speaker’s Media Office.

Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon. Yakubu Dogara has redeemed his recent pledge by donating assorted relief items to Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) at the Karmajiji Camp in Abuja.

Dogara who on June 2, 2018, in collaboration with some Non Governmental Organisations (NGOs), took a medical outreach to the camp, promised the IDPs of the items, even as he called for the integration of the displaced persons into neigbouring communities, over the apparent absence of structures needed to be put in place for them to return to their ancestral homes.

A check through the items donated shows the supply of 50 bags of rice, 50 cartons of cooking oil, 100 cartons of Indomie noodles, and 50 bags of beans.

Other items include 30 cartons of Kuskus, 50 cartons of soap, 30 bags of sugar and 30 packs of sanitary pads.

Earlier on his visit to the camp, the Speaker lamented that the continued stay of IDPs, who were mostly victims of the Boko Haram insurgency in the North East in camps “is turning out to be a long stay”, adding that it was challenging on the best way to approach the matter, as to “whether this act of intervention on the part of the N.G.Os and faith-based organisations will be enough, or whether government should look for other means by which we can integrate the I.D.Ps themselves, as against rushing them back to their communities where they could be displaced again”.

He assured that IDPs that “it is the task that we all must set our minds to accomplish. We need to integrate them if we cannot send them back to their communities in the nearest possible time. That effort must be made by government, not even N.G.Os, N.G.Os can support and faith-based organisations can also support, but the government must stand up and be counted.

“I’ve heard the desire expressed by the director of the camp, that you would love to return back home. Of course, that should be the goal of government as well, that wherever I.D.Ps are, Nigerian citizens, in the F.C.T, in the South, Cameroon, Niger, Chad, that we quickly get them back home. But the truth is that it would be very difficult to do that before the war on terrorism is won”.

Chairman of the House Committee on the IDPs, Refugees and Government Initiatives on the North East, Hon. Sani Zoro who presented the items on behalf of the Speaker, said based on requests from the IDPs, and “to demonstrate our sensitivity to your plights, he (Speaker) has sent me to represent him and donate these items to you”, adding that the gesture was a show of “exemplary leadership” by Hon Dogara.