Borno State Governor, Babagana Umara Zulum, supervised the distribution of N275 million in cash, food items, and wrappers to 95,000 residents in Monguno town of Monguno Local Government Area in the northern part of the state.
During the distribution on Tuesday and Wednesday, 55,000 women were each given N5,000 cash and a wrapper, while 40,000 male heads of household received 25kg of rice and 10kg of beans.
Monguno was displaced by Boko Haram insurgents about eight years ago before it was recaptured by the Nigerian military. Monguno hosts IDPs from the four local government areas of Kukawa, Guzamala, Nganzai, and Marte.
“Monguno is one of the local government areas severely devastated by Boko Haram insurgents. The population here is huge and they have limited access to agricultural land. For this reason, we decided to provide palliatives to all residents living in Monguno,” Zulum said.
The governor said palliative distribution will continue throughout his tenure in order to support communities severely affected by the Boko Haram insurgency.
Zulum expressed gratitude to President Bola Tinubu and Vice President Kashim Shettima for supporting the Borno State Government with rice through the Northeast Development Commission (NEDC).
The governor also acknowledged support from the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) and the Nigeria Customs Service.
Dignitaries present during the distribution include the House of Representatives member for Marte, Monguno, and Nganzai, Bukar Talba, Managing Director of the Chad Basin Development Authority, Abba Garba, Commissioner for Local Government and Emirate Affairs, Sugun Mai Mele, and his Agriculture and Natural Resources counterpart, Bawu Musami.
Others include the Director General of SEMA, Dr. Barkindo Aliyu Muhammed; Special Adviser to the Governor on Monitoring, Baba Bukar Gujibawu; General Manager of the Borno State Rural Water Supply and Sanitation Agency, Mohammed Musa Aliyu; and Chairman of Monguno Local Government, Mohammed Kyari.