In its bid to ameliorate the sufferings of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) in the North Eastern part of Nigeria, the United Nation’s through the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA) has stated that the sum of 4 billion naira has been released to cater for 60,000 IDPs in the region.
The UNOCHA states that the fund has been allocated to various organisations supporting humanitarian efforts in the North East. This is a welcome development which, however, calls for some form of worry at the same time.
The United Nations and other humanitarian bodies have spent billions on IDPs in the North East. According to the UN, it has raised a total of $48 million (over N17 billion) in contributions and pledges to date.
However, there is little or next to nothing to show for the huge funds raised by aid agencies as the situation in the region is a far cry from the donations made. The reality on the ground speaks to an act of sabotage from various organisations involved in managing the humanitarian crisis in the North East.
The utilisation of these funds appear to have been misappropriated as the state of the IDPs are precarious, unbefitting and an eyesore. Daily news report and other findings have shown that IDPs still suffer from malnutrition, overcrowded accommodation, inadequate healthcare, among others.
The UN and its development partners need to take a critical look at the activities of these organisations. They have doled out enough funds in cash and kind to the region, however, one needs to question what happens to these monies when given to these organisations. Nigerians and the IDPs, in particular, are yet to see the effect of this huge injection of funds.
The UN is doing its best for Nigeria in resettling victims of Boko Haram attacks but the funds need to be utilised judiciously while defaulting organisations barred from receiving such funds and anyone caught diverting the monies prosecuted.
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