By Philip Yatai
The Federal Capital Territory Emergency Management Department (FEMD) in partnership with Near Foundation has distributed food items to 300 Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) in Abuja.
A total of 150 households benefited in Malaysia Garden IDPs Camp, and another 150 benefited at Kabusa IDPs Camp, in Abuja Municipal Area Council.
The acting Director-General of the department, Mr Abdulrahman Mohammed, said during the handing over of the food items in Abuja on Wednesday, that support would sustain the households during the fasting period.
According to him, the move is part of efforts to reach out to vulnerable households during the fasting.
Mohammed, who was represented by the Head, Relief and Rehabilitation, Mrs Fatima Sorau, explained that the support came through partnership with development partners.
“This will make the IDPs and other vulnerable households to survive through the fasting period.
‘It will also make them feel included, knowing that the government remembers and cares about their welfare,” he said.
On his part, the foundation’s Project Manager, Mr Aliyu Harande, said that the 11 kilogramme food pack included rice, beans, spaghetti, macaroni, and semonvita.
He said that gesture was part of the foundation’s hunger-relief programme to IDPs, vulnerable households, low income households and people in distress.
Chairman of the Malaysia Garden IDPs Camp, Chakule Lawal, said that the camp, established about eight years ago, had about 600 households.
Lawal, who thanked FEMD and Near Foundation for the support, explained that the IDPs came into Abuja from Borno, Adamawa, and Yobe.
Similarly, Mr Mathias Adamu, one of the group leaders at Kabusa IDPs camp, equally said that the IDPs were displaced Adamawa, Taraba, Yobe and Borno since 2014.
One of the IDPs, Aisha Mohammed, 28, and mother of six, described the food donation as a life-saver.
Another IDP, Mrs Hadiza Umar, mother of four said that the support would enable her to feed her children during the fasting period and asked for more support from well-meaning Nigerians. (NAN)
Edited by Muhammad Lawal
