- Governor seeks global help in state’s humanitarian crisis
Benue State Governor Hyacinth Alia yesterday sought global intervention in the humanitarian crisis facing the state.
Alia spoke when he hosted officials of the United States Bureau for Humanitarian Assistance at the Government House in Makurdi, the state capital.
Quoting from the 2022 Internally Displaced Persons report, he said over 1.5 million people are currently displaced across the state and have no access to potable water and other necessities of life.
Alia said residents of the state were under constant threats of herdsmen attacks, kidnapping, and armed banditry.
The governor recalled that on assumption of office, his administration encountered enormous humanitarian crisis caused by armed attacks and natural disasters.
He said: “Benue State has continued to experience intense conflicts and tensions as a result of herders/farmers clashes, kidnapping, armed banditry, which have disrupted the agrarian lives of our people. Insecurity is yielding a growing concern in our state. “However, our administration is committed to finding lasting solutions to these disputes and fostering peaceful coexistence among all residents in the state.
“Towards this end, we decided to adopt the three Rs: Reconciliation, Rehabilitation, and Rebuilding in the affected areas of the state.
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“My administration is working assiduously to resettle the Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) back to their ancestral homes.”
Alia expressed appreciation to officials of the United States Bureau for Humanitarian Assistance and the International Organisation for Migrant for assisting the state.
The governor also urged other development partners in the state to support his administration and develop a comprehensive template for lasting solutions to the humanitarian crisis facing the state.
The leader of delegation and Senior Humanitarian Advisor to USBHA, Patrick Robinson, said the team was in the state to assess the humanitarian situation and to see where they could assist in resolving the crisis.
He said the USBHA had been intervening in humanitarian crisis in the Northeast since 2016, adding that the organisation had rendered tremendous assistance to the government of Borno State and was intervening in the humanitarian crisis in the Northwest.
He praised Alia for the warm reception the governor accorded the delegation and assured him of USBHA’s commitment to addressing the challenges confronting the state in other areas of humanity.