The Deputy Governor of Gombe State, Dr Manassah Jatau, on Thursday received officials of the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) who visited the state to convey the Federal Government’s intervention for Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) who fled from recent bandit attacks in parts of Bauchi State.
The NEMA delegation was received at the Deputy Governor’s office in Gombe, where the Deputy Governor welcomed the team and commended the agency for its continued support to the state during emergencies.
Jatau praised the consistent interventions of NEMA in times of need, noting that the agency has always responded whenever emergencies occur in the state.
“There has hardly been any incident in the state where NEMA has not come forward with timely interventions,” he said.
The Deputy Governor stressed the importance of collaboration in addressing humanitarian challenges, stating that in today’s world, no meaningful progress can be achieved without partnerships among relevant institutions.
He assured the visiting team that the state government would continue to work closely with the agency to ease the difficulties faced by displaced persons currently taking refuge in Gombe following the attacks in neighbouring communities of Bauchi State.
Earlier in her remarks, the Head of Operations of the National Emergency Management Agency, Gombe Operations Office, Ummuna Ahmed, said the team was in the Deputy Governor’s office to commiserate with the state government over the burden placed on it by the influx of displaced persons.
She explained that the visit was also to formally convey the Federal Government’s gesture through NEMA as humanitarian assistance to the affected IDPs who sought refuge in Gombe State.
According to her, NEMA has the mandate to ensure the direct distribution of relief materials to the displaced persons but emphasised that the agency would work closely with the Gombe State Emergency Management Agency to ensure a smooth exercise.
Ahmed noted that while NEMA would oversee the distribution, the responsibility of transporting the relief items to the affected communities would be handled by the state government.
She listed the items provided as part of the intervention to include 500 bags each of 25kg parboiled rice, beans and maize; 50 cartons each of seasoning cubes, tomato paste, vegetable oil and iodised salt.
Other items include 500 pieces each of children’s clothing, guinea brocade and wax prints, as well as 100 pieces of dignity kits aimed at supporting vulnerable groups among the displaced population.
