TheCable

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has donated 140,468 bags of food to internally displace persons in Nigeria’s northeast. 

The donation was made through King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Centre to the displaced victims of Boko Haram in Borno and Yobe states.

Earlier, China had donated over 160,000 bags of rice to the IDPs, many of which were left to waste away in NEMA stores.

But in his remarks at flag off of distribution in Teacher Village displaced camp, Maiduguri Borno state, Mustapha Maihaja, the director general of the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), said 125,317 baskets of food items will be distributed by the Center to 33,343 Households in designed camps and communities in Borno state for the next four months.

In a statement signed by Sani Datti, head, media and public relations at NEMA, the agency said  Saudi Arabia had earlier in 2018, pledged to donate the sum of  $10m for capacity building to NEMA and relief assistance to government in addressing the food crisis and resultant malnutrition caused by the Boko Haram insurgency in northeast.

Maihaja commended the effort of Mansur Dan Ali, minister of defence, who faclitated food assistance to the north east.

“In Borno, a total 125,372 bags 25kg of Rice and bean and 62,686 Cartons of condiments and each contains; 4kg Semovita, 2 litres of Vegetables Oil, 29 sachets of Tomotoes, 1kg of Salt and 2 Sachets of seasoning are to be distributed directly through combined efforts of NEMA, SEMA and critical stakeholders using vouchers system.

According to Datti, each household of six persons  will get a food basket of 59.8kg  for the period of one month.

While in Yobe a total of 15,096 bags of 25kg of rice and bean with 7, 548 condiments are to be distributed to 3,774 households who have been identified to benefit from the gesture where the total food basket to be distributed was put at 225, 685.

Leader of the team, Nasser Alsubaie, an assistant director of emergency aid From King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Centre, said the generous donation will benefit more than 840,000 Internally Displaced People in northeast as the donation was a testimony of Humanitarian commitments by the center.