The Niger State House of Assembly has called on the State Emergency Management Agency, NSEMA, to give adequate attention to the welfare of internally displaced persons, or IDPs, displaced by floods and banditry activities in the state.
The Speaker of the Niger State House of Assembly, Abdulmalik Sarkindaji, made the call in his office in Minna on Monday when the Director General of NSEMA, Alhaji Abdullahi Baba-Arah, led a management team to visit him.
Lamenting the activities of bandits as well as the effect of floods in 2023 that had rendered thousands of people homeless, he urged NSEMA not to leave any stone unturned in ensuring that all IDPs are catered to and given a sense of belonging.
According to him: “Niger State is among the states that are worst hit in terms of bandit activities and flood disasters. The current predicament of the IDPs is not of their making, and therefore they deserve love, care, and attention.”
The Speaker also appealed to the Federal Government to come to the rescue of the state through the provision of some relief materials to vulnerable citizens in the state.
” We urge the agency to ensure that the little the state government is providing gets to the targeted beneficiaries.
“We are the representatives of the people and, therefore, their welfare is a priority to us. We feel concerned about the plights of IDPs in the state and we will give the agency the necessary legislative support, ” he stated.
Earlier, the Director General of NSEMA, Alh. Baba Arah, said the visit to the state house of assembly with his management team was to solicit support, adding that there are IDPs across the seven local government areas of the state.
“The majority of the IDPs are victims of banditry and flood disasters,” he added.
An estimated 7,000 people are taking shelter in various IDP camps in seven local government areas of Niger State due to banditry activities and flood disasters.
