The Borno Government on Tuesday appealed to the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) to take over the daily feeding of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) in the state.
Alhaji Mustapha Zanna, the Deputy Governor of the state, made the appeal while receiving a donation of relief materials worth about N7 million for the IDPs by the Nigeria Flour Mills in Maiduguri.
He said that the takeover would enable the state government to focus on other development areas in the state.
Zanna said the burden of feeding over 500,000 IDPs by the government was getting unbearable.
“Presently, all the residents of the 22 out of the 27 local government areas of the state are living in Maiduguri as refugees.
“Some of them are staying in about 21 IDPs camps, while the rest are squatting with relatives in town,” he said.
Zanna said both the IDPs staying at the camps and those living with relatives relied on government feeding to survive.
“Government provides three square meals to the IDPs at the camps.
“The current hardship in the country has also forced those residing outside into feeding at the camps,” he said.
Zanna said that the exercise was eating deep into government purse, especially with the dwindling resources.
He said taking over the feeding by NEMA would enable the government concentrate on other areas such as provision of welfare, medical care and other essential services to the people.
Earlier, Alhaji Ma’aji Shettima, the General Manager of the Maiduguri Flour Mill, said that the gesture was aimed at ameliorating the sufferings of the victims of insurgency in the state.(NAN)