On Monday when 5500 Internally Displaced Persons or IDPs got relief materials in Damaturu, the Yobe State capital, everyone in the city knew that something remarkable was happening. An unusual traffic gridlock built up around the central Roundabout area of the town. Commercial tricycle operators made brisk business ferrying food items meant for the IDPs.
The food items were distributed by the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC).
The 300-meter gridlock at the Ministry Integrated Rural Development area caused a nightmare for motorists in the town. After the first day of the distribution, word got out to others, which was why the entire section of the road swarmed with IDPs queuing up day after day to collect the relief materials.
Not everyone who came got the relief items materials as the Red Cross and the ICRC had already registered a total of 8500 displaced people in the State.
As part of its considered objective of responding to the consequences of armed violence, ICRC through its humanitarian initiatives provides displaced persons with basic household necessities, such as cooking utensils, hygiene items, bedding and mosquito nets. They also provide and distribute shelter materials, food and clothing to help them cope during the most vulnerable period of their displacement.
A field official of the ICRS who provided some information about the distribution in the state but asked not to be quoted informed that a total of 8500 displaced families will benefit from the scheme. Out of the number, 5500 are from Damaturu, 3000 from Potiskum.
Each beneficiary, according to him, will go home with three bags of rice; three bags of beans; two packs of salt and bottles of oil as the food materials while the non-food relief materials include soap; mats; sanitary towel; blanket; mosquito nets; bucket; kitchen sets and tarpaulin.
The officer further explained that his organization had initially embarked on a comprehensive and coordinated process before arriving at the figure.
“We initially embarked on what we call map-out, then the registration of the IDPs. After that, we take a need assessment of the displaced people [who] we then issue a permit card for each of the persons accredited or screened in the family.
“Without this process, you cannot benefit from what we are giving out unfortunately even if you are genuinely a displaced person. You have to be captured through this process,” the source explained.
With the distribution coinciding with the holy month of Ramadan and more than half of the population of the state fasting as Yobe being a predominantly Muslim state, the number of the displaced people kept on swelling as many that were not registered also evaded the distribution that lasted for one week.
Those who got the materials were however full of praises to Red Cross. Throughout the town, commendations have been pouring on the organisation even from non-beneficiaries.
“Anybody that has seen these materials that Red Cross has provided for these displaced people will know that our government (both state and Federal) are only paying lips service to the care of the IDPs in the state,” a civil servant in the state who does not want his name mentioned, said.
Lawan Gudusu, a 60-year-old displaced blind man from Goniri in Gujba Local Government area of Yobe State, married to three wives and has 12 children, was happy when a Red Cross volunteer told him the list of items he collected.
“Haba, they gave us all those items? That will take care of us for a long time. This is the best thing that has happened to my family during this fasting. We have been surviving on very little ration that I normally go out and get from public-spirited people through begging.
“It has not been easy but with what we have now from these people (ICRC); it can take us through the fasting period. Whoever decided to provide this for us will see Aljanna (heaven),” Gudusu said.
Lubabatu Sani, 35, who has seven children, said she has not seen this kind of help from anywhere since they were displaced from their hometown in Goniri and relocated to Damaturu where they have been taking refuge for the past one year.
“To say the truth, since the problem of Boko Haram started, different people and individuals have been giving us help but I cannot compare this particular one to any of those. This help is truly coming from people with a good heart and intentions and Allah will reward them abundantly,” she said.
Like Lawan Gudusu, Bintu Molima a widow with 9 children has been barely surviving during the fasting period. Her husband was brutally murdered in front of her house in the presence of four of their children at Katarko. According to her, the relief materials she got are just “timely and Allah’s design”.
“This help I can say is designed from Allah to save people like us that have no hope. I lost my husband to Boko Haram when they slaughtered him like a goat in my presence with four of my children watching. It has not been easy (she broke down into tears)”.
Information available indicate that what is been provided for the displaced people is only for a ration of one month and that the ICRC will still be back to carry out what it refers to as Post Distribution Monitoring (PDM) to determine the impact of the materials on the IDPs and also see the need of subtracting items not need or adding those that may desire their dire need.
Our correspondent observed that apart from the food and non food materials that the ICRC has provided, it has also provided job opportunities for some of the able displaced youths working in the distribution unit of the program with some Daily Wage allowances.
Commercial tricyclists are also feasting on the available market being provided at the venue of the distribution. It was gathered that some of the tricyclists normally come out around 4.00am to queue up so as to make money.
One of the tricyclists informed that they normally collect not less than N1000 per drop depending on which part of the town the beneficial would be going to.
“This is good business for us. The least that we do collect from one person is N1000. Some people pay more than that depending on which direction you are going to. It is good business for us because one drop is N50 and before you get N1000, you must have burnt so much petrol so it’s better to queue up here,” he said.
Our correspondent also observed that security is very tight at the distribution centre. While the soldiers and police battle with screening the tricycle operators before the gain entrance into the venue, the main venue is saturated with sniffer dogs and bomb detective experts that continually combs as a proactive measure of averting any unforeseen danger.
