Nigeria’s Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, Professor Nentawe Goshwe Yilwatda, has disclosed that no fewer than 3,160 persons have been displaced in Yelwata community, Benue State, following recent violent attacks.
He made this known during an interview on Arise Television on Tuesday.
According to the minister, the humanitarian crisis in Yelwata is one of several troubling situations currently being addressed by the federal government, including flood disasters, insurgency, and child malnutrition, especially in Northern Nigeria.
“Of recent, we had the Mokwa flood. We had the killings in Plateau and Benue. We had also the Borno crisis,” he stated, adding that malnutrition among displaced children has worsened in recent times. “These are some of the key issues that we have and that we’ve been trying to address,” he said.
Professor Yilwatda noted that following a directive from President Bola Tinubu after his visit to Benue, the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs carried out a needs assessment in the affected community of Yelwata.
“In Yelwata, we discovered that 3,160 people were displaced in the community. About 810 children that are within school age were displaced,” the minister revealed.
The humanitarian impact of the crisis has been devastating, with the destruction of homes, schools, shops, and sources of livelihood.
“We discovered that we lost roughly about 48 homes. And then we have shops that were also attacked and destroyed, and other businesses,” he said.
The minister emphasised that the federal government cannot resolve these challenges alone and called for a collective response involving all stakeholders, including state governments, NGOs, and international partners.
“We need a comprehensive action by all the partners that are required to work on it. Some of the problems cannot be solved by the federal government alone,” he said.
In addressing the crises, Professor Yilwatda explained that the ministry had already met with affected communities, local authorities, NGOs, and other agencies to chart a coordinated and sustainable intervention.
“We did a comprehensive assessment covering the humanitarian needs, the peace-building response plan, and we did also the long-term and durable solution for the community,” he stated.
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