by Ranti Joseph
The Borno Government seems to be over stretched in terms of finances and can no longer cater for the internally displaced persons (IDPs).
As a result, it has appealed to the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) to take over the daily feeding of IDPs in the state.
The Deputy Governor of the state, Mustapha Zanna, made the appeal while receiving a donation of relief materials worth about N7 million for the IDPs by the Nigeria Flour Mills in Maiduguri on Tuesday.
Zanna said that the takeover would enable the state government to focus on other development areas in the state.
He 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.
“The current hardship in the country has also forced those residing outside into feeding at the camps.”
He explained that the exercise was eating deep into government purse, especially with the dwindling resources stating that 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
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