A day after Book Haram insurgents attacked Maiduguri, Acting President Yemi Osinbajo yesterday landed there to launch the Federal Government Food Emergency Intervention in the North East.
He flagged-off the distribution of 30,000 metric tonnes of assorted grains for the Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) in the North East.
Security was beefed up across the town, with heavily armed security personnel from the Army, Navy, Air Force, Police, DSS, and other para-military agencies deployed at major roads and streets.
The acting president was at the central store of the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) to inspect the stored grains. While flagging-off the intervention at Bakassi IDP camp, Osinbajo said it was part of the Federal Government emergency initiative to address the feeding problem of the IDPs.
According to him, the exercise which would be carried out quarterly, was equally targeted at alleviating all kinds of food related problems being faced by the IDPs in the North east.
“This is a comprehensive livelihood support program for the IDPs for the betterment of their lives so that they can have a comfortable life throughout their stay in the camp,” he remarked, explaining that a voucher card would be used in distributing the grains and would also serve as data base for future resettlement process.
In his remark, Governor Kashim Shettima saluted the courage exhibited by the Acting President in defying Boko Haram threat to be in Borno.
He said, “Frankly speaking, after Boko Haram made another violent but failed attempt on a community in Maiduguri last night, I concluded in my mind that we were likely to receive a signal from the Villa putting this event on hold or sending a Minister to represent the Acting President. This was the practice we were conditioned to accept judging from our first term in office.”
