It is good news that the Federal Government has moved to halt the callous diversion of food meant for Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) in the North-East. It is reassuring to hear that the government’s special relief intervention programme launched in Maiduguri, Borno State, on June 8 is yielding positive results.
According to a statement by the Senior Special Assistant to the Acting President on Media and Publicity, Mr. Laolu Akande, a report indicating the gains of the initiative was presented to the Acting President, Yemi Osinbajo, during a meeting he had with federal legislators from the North-East at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, on June 16.
The statement said “the diversion of relief materials, including food and related matters, which has dogged food delivery to the IDPs would be significantly curbed under the new distribution matrix adopted under the initiative.” It added: “For instance, over 1,000 trucks of assorted grains are now on course, delivering the grains intact to beneficiaries since the commencement of the present programme as against the reported diversion of over 50 trucks in every 100 trucks sent to the North-East.”
It is noteworthy that, under the new arrangement, 656 armed policemen would be involved in the movement of assorted grains from various reserves across the country to designated warehouses of the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) in the North-East for onward distribution to beneficiaries; and another 1,376 military personnel would escort the grains to some IDPs in the hinterlands across the affected states of Borno, Adamawa and Yobe.
It is worrying that such a high level of security is needed to ensure that food meant for IDPs reach them intact. Fundamentally, this picture shows a lamentably low level of morality on the part of those involved in such food diversion. IDPs deserve compassion; stealing food that is provided to soften their hardship amounts to wickedness.
No doubt, there are also monitoring and accountability issues involved in this drama. It is obvious that there are faults in the food distribution process which demand urgent corrective action by the authorities.
It is bad enough that the conflict in the country’s north-eastern region has reportedly displaced 2.4 million people and stretched food insecurity and malnutrition to emergency levels. A year ago, it was estimated that over half a million IDPs required immediate food assistance.
Talking of food diversion and how IDPs have been shortchanged by unconscionable characters, news of the unlawful sale of fruit donated to Nigerian Muslims by the government of Saudi Arabia further highlighted the depth of a moral problem. A statement issued on behalf of the Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Khadijat Abba-Ibrahim, indicated that the Commission for Refugees, Migrants and Internally Displaced Persons had drawn up a list of recipients, which included IDP camps and prominent mosques.
A shocking report said: “The fruit, date palm, which is peculiar to the Middle East, was expected to be distributed free of charge to indigent Muslims via designated mosques in the country; but it is now being sold in the open market.” The minister said: “This is not the spirit in which the 200 tonnes of dates were given…It is therefore disappointing to learn that some of the consignment is being sold for profit. The ministry apologises unreservedly to the government and people of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia for this unfortunate turn of events.”
How did the dates get to the marketplace? A thorough investigation should be conducted to answer this question. Again, beyond the likely systemic weaknesses that provided an enabling environment for such diversion, there is a big moral question.
In the final analysis, it is important that all hands are on deck to tackle the IDP emergency with the desired humanitarian spirit.
