United Nations High Commission for Refugees, UNHCR, donated items worth over N18m to Benue State flood victims.
Head of Benue State Chapter of the UNHCR office, Mr Samuel Agwa, said
“We worked with State Emergency Management Agency, (SEMA) and Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) and came out with acceptable formula on how to share the relief materials to the victims.
He stated that 70% of the items will go to those, who were badly affected and could not be accommodated at the designated camps, while the remaining 30% would go to victims at the various camps.
“The items are going to Camp C. Camp C are those victims who never found themselves in any of the camps. We have sent SMS to those whose data we collected and within 72 hours of the closure of camps, the targeted beneficiaries can come to collect what is meant for them”.
The State Deputy Governor and Chairman Relief Materials Committee, Engr. Benson Abounu, who received the items commended the partnership with the UNHCR, stating that the International Agency has contributed to capacity building, direct material support among other governance initiatives that still remain fresh on the minds of people
”All we are doing is that we are putting in place, the process of decampment, but have not yet decamped anybody. When we are ready, there would be symbolic decamping ceremony. We are just garnering the necessary process that will lead to decamping.
He pointed out that the camps cannot be closed down presently, as a result of those whose houses were brought down by the flood, stressing that they have no other place to go if the camp is closed.
“Government needs to intervene in such cases before they can go back to their houses, so life can be a little bit comfortable for them”.
