The Senate has responded to the Humanitarian Crisis in the North East by 2016 by constituting an eight (8) man ad-hoc committee that will ascertain the total amount of funds that have been released to the Presidential Initiative on the North East and its utilization thereof.
Moving the motion titled ‘‘Mounting Humanitarian Crisis in the North East’’ on Tuesday, 4th October, 2015, Sen. Baba Kaka Bashir Garbai (APC:Borno) noted with grave concern, the unfolding humanitarian crisis in the North Eastern part of Nigeria. He also drew the attention of the Senate to a recent report by the United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF) that stated that about 4.5million people are in dire need of assistance with about a million people at the verge of extreme malnutrition. According to him, the UNICEF report corroborated a recently released report by the Financial Times that claimed that about 2 million people were at risk of starvation in the North East. He also noted that Western diplomats had described the government’s response to the crisis as a “disgrace”.
Sen. Garbai also used the platform to recall some of the concerted efforts the National Assembly had made in bringing the crisis to an end. For instance, he highlighted that the Senate increased the amount allocated for Internally Displaced Persons in the 2016 budget from N 6billion naira (N6, 000,000,000) to ten billion naira (N10, 000,000,000). Yet, the Presidential Initiative on the North East inaugurated by President Muhammadu Buhari since 2015 was yet to show any tangible result in ameliorating the humanitarian crisis in the North East despite the release of over half of the said sum appropriated and several donations by agencies and philanthropists.
In addition, the Senator explained the exigency of the investigation evidence stating that although the government was making concerted efforts at ameliorating the sufferings of the IDPs, several people were working at undermining those efforts. In Borno State for example, he mentioned that there have been allegations that the 63 trucks of grains allocated to the IDPs in Borno State had been diverted for personal gains. Furthermore, he was worried that despite the award of projects worth millions for the rehabilitation of public institutions, facilities and the temporary provision of shelters, there was no evidence that the contracts had been implemented.
Sen. Garbai said the current state of affairs in the North East is overburdening the cash strapped states and local governments in the affected areas. He also urged lawmakers to act quickly as the intensity of the Humanitarian crisis in the North East had led to some IDPs taking to the streets in protest and obstructing vehicular movement and activities along the Maiduguri-Kano/Jos Road over the shortage of food.
Contributing to the motion and buttressing the picture of devastation painted by Sen. Garbai, Sen. Abubakar Kyari (APC:Borno) observed that farming activities had seized in his local government for 3 years . Sen. Joshua Lidani (PDP:Gombe) also quoted a UNICEF report that stated that between 7 to 8 children would die of malnutrition daily if the matter was not addressed immediately.
In addition to the Senate resolution stated above, lawmakers also agreed to contribute the sum of three hundred thousand naira (N300, 000) each for the maintenance of IDPs in the North East and investigate the diversion of grains and other food items from the strategic grains reserves, and NEMA and other sources for the IDPs.
The 8 man ad hoc committee comprising of Sen. Shehu Sani (APC: Kaduna) as Chairman, Sen. Yahaya Abdullahi (APC:Kebbi), Sen. Malam Ali Wakili (APC:Bauchi), Sen. Theodore Orji (PDP:Abia), Sen. Solomon Olamilekan (APC:Lagos), Sen. Oluremi Tinubu (APC:Lagos), Sen. Donald Alasoadura (APC:Ondo) and Sen. Ben Bruce (PDP:Bayelsa) will submit its report to plenary in two (2) weeks.
