The Center For Peace Education and Community Development (CEPEACECODE) a non-governmental organization based in Jalingo, has petitioned the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), over the neglect of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) in Taraba and Adamawa states.
The petition which was signed by the convener of CEPEACECODE Joseph Gimba, and addressed to the Director General of NEMA Mustapha Maihaja, was made available to our correspondent in Jalingo.
Gimba alleges that the IDPs in Taraba have not received any support from NEMA for a long time while those on Adamawa last received food items about two months ago and have not received non food items for several months.
He urged the DG to take urgent steps to address the challenges of the IDPs in line with the mandate of NEMA for the sake of humanity.
“After a trip to the locations of IDPs in Taraba and Adamawa states and interview with the relevant leaderships of the IDPs and some of the IDPs, we discovered that NEMA is deliberately neglecting IDPs largely due to bureaucratic bottlenecks and lack of concern for their wellbeing. A look at the NEMA Warehouse speaks volume of these neglect and lack of regular approval being given to the zonal office to supply food and none food items to IDPs.
“That for the past two years, your agency did not distribute none food items like slippers, mattresses, blankets etc to IDPs in Yola, while you have not distributed food items for the past two months.
“In Taraba, the IDPs have been neglected for so long that one wonders if NEMA even exist. Though NEMA is in charge of these camps, all necessary actions as content in the mission of NEMA have been lacking in recent times.
“Base on our findings and interview with the leadership of the IDPs, we pose to write to your good office to take immediate actions on the above actionable areas for the sake of humanity within a reasonable time.
Our organization will be left with no option but to organised civic action to drum this inhuman neglect.”
BusinessDay recall that IDPs in Jalingo recently alleged that they were dying of starvation while some of the children on the camps are suffering from severely acute malnutrition.
