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From Timothy Olanrewaju, Maiduguri
Over 120,000 people affected by insurgency in Borno have been targeted to benefit from life-saving support including food security, multi-purpose cash assistance, water and sanitation.
This was disclosed on Wednesday in Maiduguri during a kick-off meeting of the humanitarian actors on Addressing Diverse and Acute Primary Threats (ADAPT II) to Human Security in Northeast Nigeria. The Programme is being executed by Mercy Corps, an international humanitarian organisation.
ADAPT Programme Director, Maxwell Samaila of Mercy Corps, while giving an overview of the project said it focusses on life-saving, life sustaining and prevention of human suffering.
“The Programme is envisioned to last for 12 months from April 1, 2022, to March 31, 2023. We anticipate we will reach 126, 240 unique beneficiaries, of whom 78,998 will be IDPs,” he disclosed.
He said five towns of Baba, Damboa, Dikwa, Gwoza, and Ngala local governments in Borno State. He said aside IDPs, the support will reach households affected by the nearly 13 years violence.
He said each of the family will benefit N62, 000 to take care of basic needs. He said monitoring mechanism and sensitization of the community have been put in place by the organization to ensure beneficiaries do mot spend the money on frivolous things.
He said the food security focusses on emergency situation, protracted violence and transitional situation into stable condition.
Mercy Corps’ Director of Humanitarian and Sustainable Solution, James Akai, said the $18 million USD programme (about N8.5 billion), was funded by United States Agency for International Development (USAID).
Mercy Corps has been working in the frontline of insurgency in most communities in affected states in northeast.
The kick-off meeting was attended by government officials from the state ministries of water resources, agriculture, state emergency management and humanitarian workers, humanitarian journalists among others.
