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As part of activities marking her 40th birthday, Co-Director, Directorate of Women Mobilisation of the APC Presidential Campaign, Dr Betta Edu, last week celebrated with internally displaced persons (IDPs) in Ichwa IDP Camp, Makurdi, Benue State, providing health care for over 10,000 persons from various camps, livelihood support, start-up capital, educational assistance, and food and non-food items to vulnerable families.
Edu said her choice of spending her 40th birthday with the IDPs was not politically motivated but a show of gratitude to God for the gift of life and in service to humanity. She said the health and humanitarian outreach was driven by her genuine passion for people and her desire to give back to society in gratitude to God for preserving her life.
She had visited Benue in 2023 and met most of them personally. “Today, I am in Benue because it is my birthday. I am here to reach out to thousands of people in IDP camps across the state. This is my passion and my covenant with God and humanity,” she said.
Edu said the initiative was designed to help beneficiaries rebuild their livelihoods through start-up funds for small businesses and the provision of equipment, including sewing machines, grinding machines, hairdressing kits and deep freezers.
From 40 business start-up grants and 40,000 academic scholarships in 10 years, to 40 mobile hair-washing kits, 40 sewing machines and training, 40 deep freezers, medical outreach for over 10,000 people, 40 grinding machines and 4,000 wrappers, among other items, smiles and grateful hearts were overflowing.
Edu explained that scholarships and other educational support were provided to enable displaced children to return to school, while food items distributed to families would address their immediate needs.
She said the intervention was intended to complement the efforts of President Bola Tinubu, the First Lady, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, and the Benue State Governor, Rev. Fr. Hyacinth Alia, towards improving the welfare of displaced persons. She commended the support of government and international partners, noting that durable solutions must replace temporary relief.
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She, however, stressed that the outreach was not politically motivated but a personal expression of gratitude to God and a commitment to serve humanity.
According to her, the ultimate goal is to help displaced families move beyond temporary relief, regain economic independence and achieve lasting resettlement.
“The real idea is to ensure that we can pull them out of here back to their ancestral homes and permanently settle so they can be productive and support Nigeria with food,” she said.
The outreach also featured a free medical programme for thousands of internally displaced persons in camps across Benue State.
Edu said Benue was chosen for the birthday intervention because of the peculiar humanitarian challenges facing displaced persons in the state and the need for sustained support for affected families. She also called on the international community, development partners and well-meaning individuals to support and collaborate with the state government in addressing the challenges speedily.
The beneficiaries, and indeed the whole camp, went agog with joyful celebration because everybody went home with something. The youths in town and women were not left out, as they too benefited from the birthday celebration. They prayed for greater heights for Edu.
